Women's water polo
After a highly successful regular season, the women's water polo team (24-9 overall) crashed back to Earth with a disappointing sixth-place finish at the Eastern Championships.
Throughout the regular season the Tigers dominated their Southern Division opponents, including a five-goal victory over Harvard. It was the Crimson, however, who knocked the Tigers out of Easterns with a 6-2 victory. The Tigers finished with an 8-0 record in the Southern Division.
Princeton was led all season by utility Elyse Colgan '07. Despite her youth, Colgan led the team in scoring as she tallied 70 goals in only 33 games. She was named Southern Division MVP and was also an honorable mention All-America.
Drivers Jazmin Brown '07 and Megan Donahue '06, and goalie Madeline McCarthy '05 also provided strong performances.
After graduating only two seniors, the Tigers should be able to avenge their disappointing finish last season.
Softball
In 2003 the softball team won the Ivy League Championship and graduated no seniors. Needless to say, expectations were high heading into the 2004 campaign. However, the team was unable to regain the form that led it to the title.
Princeton (24-23 overall, 7-7 Ivy League) finished in a three-way tie for fourth place in the league.
Once again head coach Maureen Barron's team opened with a challenging non-conference schedule. Trips to California and Georgia to face some of the top teams in the country led to a respectable 7-8 record heading into Ivy League play.
After the Tigers started with a two-game sweep of Penn, they split a weekend series with Dartmouth before being swept by Harvard. From there it was an uphill climb all season long.
The Tigers' offense was inconsistent all seasons long. They scored one run or fewer in 24 games.
Hurler Melissa Finley '05 was a first team All-Ivy selection after leading the Tigers in every major offensive category.
Men's volleyball
The men's volleyball team came into the 2004 season with a lot of question marks. The Tigers answered most of their critics in posting a 14-10 record.
Princeton qualified for the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association playoffs due to a successful regular-season campaign.
Instead of playing a mediocre first-round opponent, the Tigers were pitted against a red-hot George Mason squad because of a late-season loss to highly regarded Junia-ta. In the game against Juniata, Princeton won the first two games and seemed poised for an upset win and an easy first-round foe. However, outside hitter Blake Robinson '05 went down with a sprained ankle that would keep him out the rest of the season.
The Tigers lost their match against George Mason, 3-1, and watched their successful season draw to a close.
Outdoor track
For Princeton track and field, one word sums up every season — Heps. That is the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships, where every Ancient Eight school and Navy send their best to compete.
The men's and women's outdoor track teams did not enjoy successful seasons because of disappointing finishes at Heps. The men finished in third place while the women were fourth.
Early on things looked bright for the men's squad as the team led heading into the second day of competition. However, only Jonathan Kieliszak '04 was able to sustain the momentum on the second day as he won the 1500 meter finals.
The women's squad was led by a trio of distance runners, Emily Kroshus '04, Cack Ferrell '06, and Meredith Lambert '06.
Both Kroshus and Lambert were automatic qualifiers for the NCAA National Championships.
Crew
The women's open crew team reclaimed the Ivy League title after finishing the regular season a perfect 7-0. The team earned a one second victory over defending champion Radcliffe. It was Princeton's first Ancient Eight crown since 1997.
The team then travelled to California for the NCAA Championships, where they finished sixth.
The women's lightweight squad was unable to repeat as national champions for a third straight year. The boat finished in third place at the National Championships.
On the men's side, the heavyweight first boat had a strong finish by earning second place at Easterns behind a very strong Harvard boat. In the process, the team beat out perennial powerhouses including Navy, Northeastern, and Wisconsin.
Men's golf
The men's golf team continued its dominance in the Ivy League last spring by winning the conference title for the fourth time in five years. Greg Johnson '04 and Jason Gerken '06 led the team as it recaptured the crown Yale had stolen away in 2003.
Creighton Page '05 also shined for the squad, both on and off the course. Along with solid play, Page was honored with the Golf Coaches Association of America All-American scholar award.
After winning Ivies, the team competed in the NCAA Regional Tournament. Unfortunately for the Tigers, they found themselves up against powerhouse schools from the Big Ten and Big XII conferences. Princeton's 26th place finish out of 27 teams once again showcased the increasing depth and skill in collegiate golf.
The team should have high expectations heading into this year, having lost only Johnson to graduation.
Women's golf
If you thought the women's golf team was good last year, get ready for greatness. The Tigers return the top five scorers from a squad that won the Ivy Championship last year and competed in the NCAA Central Regional Tournament.
For the third consecutive year, Avery Kiser '05won the individual Ivy League title, as she led a furious Tiger comeback in the conference tournament. Taryn Haladay '05 had a breakout season, playing the best golf of her career late in the spring. Sharla Cloutier '07 and Alexis Etow '07 also had very solid rookie seasons.
Kiser, Haladay, Cloutier and Etow all received all-Ivy honors.
At the NCAA tournament, Princeton finished in 19th place out of 21 teams, failing to advance past Regionals. This season's squad should be hungry to do even better.
Women's tennis
When the women's tennis team takes to the court this year, it will look differently than it has in a quarter of a century. After a mediocre 2004 campaign, head coach Louise Gengler '75 decided to hang up the racket and sneaks following 25 years of coaching at Old Nassau. Her departure marks the end of the longest tenure for a female coach at Princeton.
Attempting to fill her shoes will be Kathy Sell, a coach who leaves her assistant job at the University of Oregon to join the Tiger family. The move to Princeton is somewhat of a homecoming for Sell, who originally hails from southern New Jersey.
Sell will take over a team that went 8-11 overall during the spring, including a 4-3 record in the Ivy League. The team finished off the year with a gutsy 4-3 win over Columbia to push its conference record above .500.
Men's tennis
The men's tennis team had a very respectable 2004 campaign, finishing with an 11-10 record, including a 4-3 mark in Ivy League play. That league record, however, is misleading because Ivy tennis is quite competitive nationally on the men's side.
Princeton lost to Harvard and Brown during the season when those squads were ranked Nos. 20 and 44 in the country, respectively. The Tigers' most important conference victories were both on the road, garnering tough 4-3 wins at both Penn and Dartmouth.
Though the squad lost No. 2 singles Daniel Friedman '04 to graduation, five of the top six players will return in 2005. Leading the way will be junior No. 1 Darius Craton.
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