Swimming looks to end seasons on high note

Both the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams will seek to conclude their seasons against Columbia this Friday at Denunzio Pool.

The Princeton men’s team enters this final competition with a 6-0 in-conference record, with its latest successes coming in a sweep of Harvard and Yale last weekend. The Tigers won 15 of 19 events, beating Harvard by a score of 224.5-126.5 and Yale by a score of 235-98.

Battling against Columbia, Princeton will face an opponent solidly in the middle of the Ivy League standings. The Lions have lost meets to Penn (114-167), Yale (110-190), and Harvard (79-220), while edging out Cornell and Brown. However, the Tigers’ latest opponent is not to be overlooked: Columbia defeated Princeton in their last meeting, 168-132.

The Lions’ current squad boasts such weapons as the foursome of Omar Arafa, Forrest Davis, Kevin Frifeldt and Codi Sanders, who earned victories over Bucknell and Brown in the 200-medley relay and starred individually in a wide selection of events. Also menacing is Brian Tsau, who has won 3 events this year in the 1000 free. Also dangerous is diver Jayden Pantel, who has controlled the boards in Columbia’s past two matchups and boasts 20 career wins in the 3-meter event.

Against this opponent, Princeton offers a squad with perhaps the best selection of depth and versatility in the Ivy League. Against the tough squads of Harvard and Yale, the Tigers not only won an astonishing spread of 15 out of 19 events but also took multiple top spots in these events. Most notably, Princeton swimmers took the top three spots in the 100 breast and 200 butterfly, and swept the top five positions in the 200 IM.

A win against Columbia would give the Princeton men’s team its first undefeated Ivy League season since 2012.

Meanwhile, the women’s team also looks to end its regular season on a high note by vanquishing the Lions. The Tigers enter this final competition with their lone loss going to top-ranked Yale. This past weekend, however, Princeton split the Harvard-Yale meet, beating the Crimson 165-135 to solidify its hold on second place in the league standings.

The Columbia women have struggled thus far this season, with their lone win coming against Cornell. Strong performers for the Lions include Mary Ashby, who has scored a string of victories in events such as the 200 medley relay, 100 backstroke and the 200 free, and Jessica Antiles, who has shown strong performances in the 200 free and the 200 IM over the course of the season.

The Tigers will present a young but talented squad; standouts include sophomore Mary Kate Davis, who has demonstrated prowess in events such as the 200 back and the 1000 free, and freshman Janet Zhao, who has recorded a large number of encouraging top finishes in the breaststroke. A win for the women over Columbia would move Princeton to 6-1 in-league; the Lions last defeated Princeton in 2014.

For both squads, this final meet takes special meaning as it marks the last regular-season contest for the teams’ seniors. However, competition for both groups is far from over; both the men and women currently stand in first and second in conference standings and are poised to go far in the upcoming Ivy League championships in late February.