Crimson narrowly edges Tigers at Easterns

For senior Justin Chiles, one-hundredth of a second was the difference between being an EISL champion or being just another runner-up. Three-hundredths of a second marked the amount by which junior Will Reinhardt defended his 50-yard freestyle title. The most important number, however, was 96.3 — the margin of Harvard's victory over Princeton at this past weekend's Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming League Championship, which resulted in the Crimson's eighth EISL title in the past decade.

Swimming is a sport often determined by hundredths and tenths, and over the three-day championship those narrow margins went in Harvard's favor. The Crimson dominated the relays and had numerous individual champions, using their depth to conquer the Tigers, 1,460-1,363.5. The next closest team was far behind, as Columbia finished third with 1040.50 points.

"We're pleased, but we're always going for the top," Chiles said. "Harvard is always our main rival, and we try to give them good competition."

When the Princeton men's swimming and diving team lost to the Crimson this February in a dual meet, the Tigers subsequently motivated themselves by planning for revenge in March.

Since 24 places are scored at Easterns, Princeton hoped to use its own depth to overtake Harvard's superior top swimmers. The Crimson were able to beat the Tigers at their own game, however, placing numerous swimmers in each event and garnering critical points.

Three gold medals

Though Princeton lost the ultimate team championship to Harvard, 1,460-1,363.5, the meet was still not without significant success for individual Tigers. Three Princeton swimmers captured gold medals over the weekend.

Reinhardt, the defending champion in both the 50 and 100 free, defended both of his titles, solidifying his position as the league's top sprinter. Though his times were not as fast as those he recorded the previous year, his contributions propelled the Tigers to a lead, 444-415, after the first night of competition on Thursday.

Chiles described his first league championship as "very satisfying." After finishing second a year ago in his best event, the 200 free, he "just scraped out" a win in front of his parents and teammates in his last collegiate meet.

His final swim was in jeopardy of falling below his expectations, however, as he got out to a slow start in the first 150 yards. With 50 yards to go, he still trailed his competitors. Determined to win, he swam an impressive final leg and just touched out the competition.

"I had to make it up in the last 50 yards," Chiles said. "I just managed to get my hand on the wall a hundredth of a second ahead."

Although just a sophomore, Meir Hasbani already had experience atop the Eastern Championship podium. His freshman year he won the 200 butterfly and placed second in the 400 individual medley. This year he reversed that outcome, swimming to a runner-up finish in the butterfly and then coming back to set a school record with his winning time in the 400 IM. Hasbani also placed second in the 200 IM.

Despite victories from Chiles and Hasbani on Friday, the Crimson took the lead from Princeton and crept to a small 949-910 lead that its never relinquished, expanding its margin of victory on Saturday.

Relay dominance

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

While the Tigers swam to second place in the 200 and 400 free relays, Harvard won all five relays over the course of the championship. The Crimson's strong squads were bolstered by the return of two swimmers who spent last year training for the Olympic trials, John Cole and James Lawler.

"We knew their relays were going to be strong," Chiles said. "We were more focused on scoring in the individual events and hoped we could sneak in the consolation and bonus finals to score points."

After two years away from Princeton, sophomore diver Kent DeMond returned to the team and scored valuable points for the Tigers, placing third and fourth in the three-meter and one-meter competitions, respectively. Sophomore David Ashley won the battle for second place in the 1,000- and 1,650-yd. free events, falling to All-American Harvard senior Cole. Cole outdistanced the competition and broke his own meet record in the event.

In addition to Ashley, from whom the Tigers have come to expect great performances, freshman distance swimmers Ryan Dvorak and Stan Buncher also stepped up for the Tigers, scoring key points the in 500, 1,000 and 1,650 free events.

Junior Sami Mardam-Bey made his debut on the championship squad and solidified his role on the team by making two finals — the 200 IM and 400 IM.

In the end, neither the Tigers' nail-biting victories nor their deep roster would be enough overcome the Crimson, who were just a little bit better this weekend.