GROVE CITY — Drew Snyder admits he's a small fish in a big pond as a member of the Grove City College swim team.

"I swim in the same pool with national champions and a guy trying to make the Olympic team," the Seneca Valley graduate said. "I swim with guys so much faster than me, it's embarrassing.

"I'm not one of those guys who jumps out of the pool with a super-fast time. That's not one of my strengths."

But some of that is just Snyder's modesty talking. Two weekends ago, he was an integral part of the 400 freestyle relay team that clinched the Presidents' Athletic Conference championship.

Swimming the first leg of the relay, Snyder set the tone. He got the Wolverines the lead and Tim Whitbeck, a defending national champion in the 50 freestyle, finished off the win with a scintillating final 100 yards.

The victory in the final event of the meet gave Grove City a narrow win over nemesis Westminster College and earned the school its first PAC title since 2004.

It was Grove City's 21st conference championship overall.

"The seniors on this team had never won a conference title," said Grove City swimming coach Dave Fritz. "We came close the last couple of years, so you kind of start to wonder, 'What do we need to do to get this done?'"

Not long before the season started, it looked as if the team wouldn't get done again.

Caleb Courage, a two-time national champion in the 100 freestyle, left the team to train for the U.S. Olympic trials.

Then Chip Cressman, a Grove City record holder in three events, didn't come out for the team.

On the surface, those seemed to be crippling blows for the Wolverines.

What it did, though, was galvanize the team in a way few expected.

Snyder, who was voted a co-captain despite being a junior, said the loss of two of the team's best swimmers only made the remaining members that much more determined to win the title.

Still, when the win came, it caught him off guard.

Snyder and his 400 relay teammates knew if they won the event, they would win the conference title.

"Coach (Fritz) pulled us aside," Snyder said. "He wanted to prepare us mentally."

When they won, it was hard for some to keep their emotions in check.

"I know a lot of the guys, a lot of the seniors, said that was the happiest day they could remembers when we won," Snyder said. "We were ready to tear up the water."

Snyder had a particularly good year tearing up the water.

He is a member of four record-setting relay teams at the school and has gotten faster each year he has been at Grove City College.

"Not a lot of people get faster out of high school, especially after leaving Seneca Valley because (Raiders' coach) Tom Donati does such a great job," Snyder said.