"Don't panic if we're down by 30 after the first day," he said. "I told them if they're within 40 after the first day, we're OK. We're much stronger the last day, and (Kenyon is) much stronger the first day."
And to win?
"For us to, God forbid, win," Morgan said, "we can't make any mistakes. At this point, the guys are excited, they're looking forward to it, they want to swim now. Not every one feels this way when they get to a meet like this."
Said Thomas: "If everyone keys in on his event, we'll do it. Attitude is a huge factor and everyone's enthusiastic. There's not a pessimist out here."
Morgan said the team needs top performances from the top-seeded 800 and 200 freestyle relay teams, Dave Sacco and Thomas in the distance events and Daniels and Jeff and Jason Vance in the 200 freestyle, 100 and 200 backstroke and 200 butterfly.
"They'll have to come through for us in the finals," Morgan said.
Swimming at the Division III level may not get as much attention as Division I, but these athletes are just happy to swim competitively.
"I didn't want the conference meet to be my last," Vance said. "I wanted to go to a national meet where it would be fast. Division I cuts are like Olympic Trial cuts, and I didn't think I was quite fast enough to make nationals for Division I."
Said Daniels: "The competition is the most important thing. I enjoy the level I'm at. If I was swimming Division I, I wouldn't be going to nationals. I've heard all the stories about Division I. If you get a scholarship, you're under a contract. You have to make the cuts. Here, you have more freedom, you go after your own goals."
And one of those goals is to advance to the position they are in today.
"I still don't know how they do it," Morgan said. "They're all good students and they stay up all night studying and then come to practice. They just don't quit."
