The Boston area received a royal beating when the women's swimming and diving team rolled into town this weekend. Setting out to tie the school record for most consecutive wins by a single team, the Tigers broke through to their 44th straight win in meets last Saturday against Boston College, Northeastern and Binghamton.
The streak, which began in the 1997-1998 swim season, breaks the streak of 43 straight wins set by the men's tennis team in the late '70s.
On Friday afternoon Princeton started off its season with a 199-101 win against host Boston College. The next day the Tigers won eight of 13 events, defeating Northeastern and Binghamton, two American East opponents, with ease, 152-90.
The Tigers went into the first race on Friday against the Eagles excited to get some fast racing in. Of course, setting a new school record weighed heavily on their minds as well.
When all was said and done, the Tigers had won 17 of 22 events on the afternoon, coming a win closer to the record.
Princeton faced Northeastern and Binghamton, two teams it typically does not compete against, the next day. The Tigers entered the meet paying little attention to the other teams' strengths, instead concentrating on their own individual strengths to come out on top as a team.
"Coach [Susan Teeter] really just wanted us to get on the blocks and get the feel of racing next to someone," senior captain Katherine Kuga said. "Though we are in the middle of training, this was a meet meant to gain experience for the next week's tougher competitors."
Winning eight of the 13 events of the day, Princeton clearly displayed an overall strong performance which bodes well for the remainder of the season.
Sophomore Eileen Altenburger kicked off the victories in the second event of the day, the 1000 yard freestyle, with a time of 10 minutes, 27 seconds. She was trailed by freshman Lise Vollmond-Carstens by only a second. In the 200 yard freestyle the Tigers were well represented with three top finishers — sophomore Libby Engelmeier came in first, followed by freshman Kelly Hannigan in second and senior Sarah Fraumann in third. Freshman Sobenna George won the next event, the 50-yard freestyle, with a time of 28:48.
Junior Stephanie Hsiao followed George's victory with a win of her own in the the 200-yard individual medley. Hsiao also won the 200 breaststroke, blowing the competition out of the water by four seconds.
Sophomore Kitsie Kerner placed first in the 200 backstroke, followed by sophomore Sarah Schaffer and senior Claire Pearson. The eighth and final win of the swim meet came from a powerful combination of George, Kerner, freshman Kristen Arey and Fraumann in the 200-yard freestyle relay.
Two second-place diving finishes from freshman Raegan Reber on the three-meter board and freshman Michelle Demond on the one-meter board completed the well-rounded team effort which spelled success against Northeastern and Binghampton.
With a range of dry-land routines and tougher in-water training, the team has high expectations for the year. Even with the tedious preparation for the swim season, this is no time to be getting overconfident, especially with four straight Ivy League titles to defend.
After a long fall of training, the racing season has begun, and the Tigers are ready. No doubt more victories are in store for the women's swimming and diving team as it tests the waters in the 2003-2004 season.
The Tigers begin their Ivy League season this weekend, traveling to Ithaca to race Cornell and Penn.
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