Although it's only been a week since the last post, there is a lot to fill you in on! We had an exciting, yet tiring week in the pool leading up to our annual Blue and White Intrasquad meet.

Each year the captains pick teams and we battle it out against each other. However, the line-up was definitely a unique one this time. It started with a 300 Medley relay - men swam 50 back to women's 100 breast, to women's 100 fly, and then men finished off with 50 free. After that was a 600 free, 250 IM (swam as a 25 fly, 50 back, 75 breast, and 100 free), 150's of each stroke. Then we finished off the meet with a 500 free relay (split up as a 200 leg, 150, 100, and 50).

The stands were filled with many supportive parents and fans. The face tattoos and blue eyeliner were out while "Zombie Nation" blared through the speakers as we ran out. It was fun to mix up the events and of course to compete against each other.

After a few hours of racing, the Blue team came out with the win overall for both men and women. Both teams came together after the meet and lined the side of the pool, linking arms to sing our alma mater. Even though I've heard it so many times, I still got chills to be able to come together as one and recite the words that define what Penn State really is.

The weekend full of school pride didn't stop there. Next, was the Penn State vs. Iowa football game. We tailgated a bit before we entered the stadium where we sang the alma mater again with nearly 110,000 other fans and even caught a glimpse of ourselves on the videoboard! After a grueling three quarters of back and forth tough football, Penn State came out with the victory over Iowa with an exciting fourth quarter.

After that, we grabbed a bite to eat then headed to Rec. Hall to watch our Nittany Lions take on Illinois in a heart fought match. Another crowded arena with over 5,000 fans, left everyone chanting "P-S-U" when the ball was hit. Spending time with each other outside of the pool was a fun way to bond while supporting our other sports teams. With a late ending game, we all went our separate ways whether it was a stop at the creamery or straight to bed after an exhausting day.

Sunday night a few of us attended the etiquette dinner to try and learn a few manners about how to carry ourselves in business settings. I thought I knew my table manners, but it was a little more complex than I was expecting. At least I still have a few more years until the "real world" starts for me and I have to apply all those rules...

Thanks for reading and keep checking back to see what we're up to next week as we prepare for our first dual meet against West Virginia on October 22nd!