Tigers get wake-up call in loss to Harvard

Harvard and Princeton have dominated Ivy League men's swimming and diving since 1972, the last time a team other than those two powerhouses won the conference championship.

The Tigers (4-1 Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming League, 6-1 overall) and the Crimson (7-0, 7-0) battled again this past Saturday and Sunday in the annual H-Y-P meet. Harvard swam to a 225-138 victory, handing Princeton its first loss of the season. The Tigers did, however, defeat Yale (2-4, 4-5), 221-132, at the Bulldog's home pool.

"We knew it was going to be tough," sophomore Meir Hasbani said. "The dual meet format favors them."

Princeton came out strong in the 200-yard freestyle relay, and the Tigers touched the wall over a second ahead of the competition. The relay squad was disqualified, however, for a swimmer diving off the blocks too soon, and the Crimson were awarded the win. In that first race, eight relay squads were disqualified, serving notice to the teams that the judges would be tight on calls.

Harvard never looked back, winning nine of 10 events on the first day. Junior Will Reinhardt was the sole individual winner for Princeton, leading the Tigers to a 1-3 finish in the 50 free, an event he swam at the NCAA tournament last year.

"Will is our backbone," senior Justin Chiles said. "He's faster than anyone else in the pool."

Princeton also had strong second-place finishes from Hasbani in the 200 butterfly, sophomore Mike Zee in the 100 backstroke, Mike Ott in the 200 individual medley, and David Ashley in the 1650 free.

"It's tough to get second," Hasbani said, but he emphasized that the Tigers strength is in their depth. In a dual meet, one first place outscores the combined total of second and third, but in a championship meet, it is the other way around. As a result, the Tigers believe they have a much better chance to beat the Crimson at the upcoming conference championship.

Harvard's lead of 120-66 after the first day all but sealed the win, but Princeton continued to fight.

"We swam much better on the second day," Chiles said.

Hasbani claimed another second-place finish in the 200 individual medley, and junior teammate Sami Mardam-Bey finished in third place, showcasing the depth the team hopes to use to its advantage when they meet the Crimson in March.

Reinhardt starred again, winning the 100 free and showing excellent preparation for his bid to defend his EISL titles in the 50 and 100 free events.

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"No one will take out any race as fast as he does," Chiles said of Reinhardt. In a sprint race, after the start, it's just "how much you can hold on."

Reinhardt held on for 44.88 in the 100 free. He not only trounced the competition but also came within .05 seconds of the NCAA B qualifcation standard.

Zee added another runner-up finish in the 200 back, and sophomore Ryan Becker placed second in the 100 fly.

As the end of the meet approached, Princeton had yet to finish first in a relay, and Harvard was solidly in the lead. Yet the Tigers still turned in a gutsy performance in the final event, the 400 free relay. After Reinhardt and seniors Geoff Patterson and Jeremy Tillman swam the first three legs, the squad was almost a full second behind the Crimson, but Chiles was not to be denied victory in the last relay of his final H-Y-P meet.

He dove into the pool and stalked down the Harvard swimmer. With just 25 yards remaining, Chiles still trailed. Buoyed by the cheers of the Orange and Black fans, Chiles fought through the final stretch and brought home the win for Princeton by just .08 seconds.

"We were able to pull it out and get a little bit of respect," Chiles said. "It's lots of fun when the place is like a gladiator pit, and there's all these screaming fans."

The H-Y-P meet served as a wakeup call for the Tigers.

"The season's not over by any means," Hasabani said.

In 2002, the last time H-Y-P was held at Yale, Princeton lost, but the team still managed to claim the title at Ivy Championships. The Tigers will use the upcoming weeks to prepare for an attempt to repeat history.