Hsiao finishes career with third trip to NCAAs

Three weeks after utterly dominating her competition at the women's swimming team's season-ending Ivy Championships, senior co-captain Stephanie Hsiao closed out her Princeton swimming career as the Tigers' lone representative at the 2005 NCAA Championship meet.

Hsiao finished 43rd in the 50-yard freestyle on Thursday morning, clocking a time of 23.33 seconds, followed by a 42nd place finish in the 100 free on Saturday morning, in a time of 50.62.

"I set a personal best in the 50," Hsiao said. "But I didn't swim as well as I wanted in the 100 — I'd call it mediocre. It wasn't the bang I wanted to go out with.'

The meet, held at Purdue University in West Lafayette, marked the third straight season Hsiao qualified for NCAAs. She had been one of two Princeton representatives to qualify her junior and sophomore years, joining long distance swimmer Sarah Frauman '04 both seasons.

"I really enjoyed the experience," Hsiao said. "I got to see some friends from home and had a great time."

Last year, Hsiao finished 28th in the 100 breaststroke and 73rd in the 100 free. Her sophomore season, she finished 32nd in the 100 breast and 64th in the 200 individual medley.

Hsiao could have swum the 100 breast again this year at NCAAs — the race was held on Friday, her day off — as a 'B' qualifer, but chose not to in order to rest for the 100 free race the following day.

Her most remarkable performance as a Tiger came at this season's Ivy Championship meet the final weekend in February. Swimming her last meet in DeNunzio Pool, Hsiao won every event she entered — seven total — winning gold in three individual events and four relays. For her unblemished performance, she was named Most Outstanding Swimmer of the meet.

Unexpected success

Hsiao admitted that she would never have predicted such remarkable individual success, especially after a "rough" freshman year.

"By the end of freshman year, I was ready to quit," she said. "But I sat down with Coach [Susan Teeter] and embraced the program, started trusting Coach, and things took off from there."

After breaking through her sophomore year, Hsiao became a key cog in the Princeton women's swimming dynasty. She was nearly as good at Ivies her junior year as she was this year, winning six events.

The Tigers' second place finish at Ivies this year was the first time during Hsiao's career that Princeton failed to take the championship, and the Tigers lost only three dual meets over the course of her career.