Men's swimming hope to continue dominance at Ivy Championships

This Thursday, the men’s swimming and diving team headed to Providence in search of a storybook conclusion to what has been a phenomenal year of competition. The Tigers ended the regular season undefeated against their Ivy rivals. In addition to their perfect record, Princeton also picked up a Big Al victory and their first HYP win since 2012.

However, most important to the Princeton squad is the final hurdle coming up: a win at the Ivy League Championship. As always, the meet spans the course of three days and will pit the Tigers against their toughest Ivy foes. In particular, the Orange and Black will once again face off against Harvard, who broke Princeton’s five-year championship streak back in 2014. But the Tigers rebounded last year, at DeNunzio Pool, in front of an enthusiastic home crowd in order to retake the title.

Although competition will undoubtedly be fierce, the Princeton squad has plenty to be confident about as they head into the title championship. Indeed, Princeton dominated the HYP meet earlier in the season, taking wins in 15 out of 19 events. They beat Harvard 224.5-126.5 and dominated Yale 253-98. Princeton’s other wins throughout the season have been similarly dominant.

In addition, the Tigers have a veteran squad which has made a tradition of winning on the Ivies’ biggest stages. Last year, the Tigers assembled a triple-digit lead on the first day of competition and never looked back, racing toward the title while maintaining a healthy lead throughout. That year marked Princeton’s 30th Ivy League Crown and the sixth consecutive year the Tigers had won the championship when it was held at home.

While they will not have the luxury of a supportive home crowd, the Tigers’ performance this season has left no doubt that they are a championship caliber team. Still, strong Crimson and Bulldog squads will challenge the Tigers as they always have.

Going into this year’s Ivy Championship, the Tigers should once again expect a strong start to the tournament. Last year, Princeton made a huge statement in the 200 IM on day one. Indeed, the Tigers placed into four out of the top five spots. This year, senior tri-captain Teo D’Alessandro will represent Princeton as the reigning champion in the event. He will be followed by fellow seniors Marco Bove and Byron Sanborn, who are returning after top-five finishes last year.

The Tigers will also be strong in the backstroke this year. During the regular season, the Princeton squad often went 1-2-4 in the 100m backstroke, while claiming the top three spots in the 200m backstroke. In addition, Princeton currently holds the best league times in both races.

Princeton will look to maintain its dominance in the freestyle relays despite losing key swimmers to graduation. Still, the Princeton squad has plenty of firepower. The team retained two swimmers from the winning relay in 2015 while also having junior En-Wei Hu-Van Wright spearhead the sprint events.

A perfect season is on the line for men’s swimming as they head to Providence, and fans of Princeton swimming can be sure that the Tigers have saved up the energy and momentum to match the occasion.