Weekend Review: December 1–3

Women’s basketball vs. Delaware: W 78–60

The women’s basketball team beat the Blue Hens with an emphatic 78-60 victory. Spearheaded by senior captain Tia Weledji, who led the Tigers with 22 points, the Princeton side held off multiple Delaware runs to secure the win. Princeton’s strong start and efficient finishing from beyond the arc helped lift the Tigers to victory. Princeton will now look to carry its momentum as it heads off on a four-game road stretch.

Women’s volleyball @ Iowa State: L 0-3

Despite a strong start that pushed Big-12 member Iowa State, the Tigers were ultimately unable to answer the Cyclones’ offense as they took control halfway through the match. Nevertheless, the Princeton side has plenty to be proud of as it claimed its third Ivy League title in as many years and made their second consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament. Princeton will return all its six starters promising an exciting future at the very least.

Wrestling vs. Lehigh: L 13-25

Despite the star power of a nationally ranked Lehigh squad, the Tigers put up a valiant effort in its first dual match of the season. While the score line appeared relatively one-sided, the Mountain Hawks narrowly edged out Princeton 6–4 in overall wins, but recorded enough bonus points from its nationally ranked team to maintain a comfortable advantage throughout the match. Still, the Tigers can take plenty of encouragement from its strong performance in the loss. Indeed, Lehigh had already defeated Michigan, a top-five team, earlier in the season. The Tigers will match up against No. 9 Virginia Tech this coming Sunday.

Men’s and women’s fencing @ Vassar: W 8-0

The men and women’s fencing teams had an extremely successful weekend, winning a combined eight duels against Sacred Heart University, NYU, Vassar College and annual national contender Penn State at Vassar. All eight wins came on the Tigers’ second day of competition. For the women’s team, freshman épée Tatijana Stewart and sophomore épée Farrah Lee-Elabd led the Tigers with 11-1 records, while senior foil Taylor Chin went 9-0. On the men’s side, freshman rookie saber Daniel Kwak finished with a 10-2 record and senior saber Edward Chin went 9-3.

Men’s basketball @ Miami (Hoophall Miami Invitational): L 80–52

The men’s basketball team made it their mission to challenge themselves early this season against quality opponents. The result has been a fair share of bumps and bruises for Princeton, including a double-digit loss to No.10 Miami this Saturday at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Fla. Playing a de facto home game in the Hoophall Miami Invitational, the Hurricanes jumped on the Tigers late in the first half after getting off to a slow start. Princeton watched a 16–14 lead vanish as Miami went on a 24–6 run and the Tigers went ice-cold from the floor. Princeton would finish the night shooting only 31 percent from the floor and 8 for 32 beyond the arc as it failed to make a considerable dent in the Hurricane lead during any part of the second half. Now at 2–5 on the season, the Tigers are hoping that games against non-top 25 teams will enable them to get some wins and improve their record.

Men’s swimming — First place in Big Al Invitational this weekend

The Big Al Invitational was a resounding success for the men’s swimming team this weekend. The men raced out to an early lead after a dominating Friday and never looked back, being up nearly 250 points to second place Brown at the conclusion of Saturday’s action. On Saturday, the Tigers took second in the 200 medley relay, placed 4 of 6 in the top of the 400 individual medley, won the 100 breast, 100 fly, and 200 free individual events. Also on Saturday, Princeton finished with 2 of the top 3 in the one-meter dive, 3rd in the 100 back, and 2nd in 800 free relay.

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Women’s swimming — Won Big Al Invitational with 872 points

After finishing third on Friday in the Big Al Invitational, the Tigers used an exhilarating Saturday to race to the top of the leaderboard heading into Sunday. Princeton started out strong with a thrilling win over Brown by .25 seconds in the 200 medley relay finals. They then placed second in the top three of the 400 IM, swept the leaderboard of the 100 fly, placed first and fourth in the 100 breast and third in the 100 back. On the diving side, the one-meter competition officially gave the Tigers the lead over Brown when they dominated the competition with multiple A-side scorers. The team rounded out its performance on Sunday to win the invitational, beating out both Brown and Villanova.

Individual performances

Senior captain Tia Weledji — 22 points on 8 for 12 shooting, 2 steals

Senior captain Tia Weledji led the Princeton offense with 22 points. Shooting an impressive 66 percent from the field, Weledji recorded nine points in the second half of the fourth quarter to fend off a Delaware run and clinch the win for the Tigers.

Senior captain Ben Schafer — 2nd in 200 medley relay, 1st in 100 fly

Senior captain Ben Schafer was one of the reasons his team increased their lead dramatically on Saturday in the Big Al Invitational. Schafer anchored the 200 medley relay and helped the Tigers earned second with a time of 1:28.81. Then, he followed that up later Saturday afternoon with a win in the 100 fly finals with a time of 47.70. He looks to win even more accolades with the freestyle events on Sunday.

Freshman épée Tatijana Stewart

Freshman Tatijana Stewart recorded an 11–1 performance in the Vassar Duals this Sunday, tying for first in bouts won. Her performance helped to lead the Tigers, as the men's and women's fencing team would combine to sweep the competition 8–0 during the trip.

Sophomore épée Farrah Lee-Elabd

Sophomore Farrah Lee-Elabd also recorded an 11-1 performance in the Vassar Duals to tie for most bouts won.The Tigers defeated Sacred Heart University, NYU, Vassar College, and annual national contender Penn State, putting them in a good position to contend for the Ivy League title, which they have tied to win for the last two years.