Tigers expect duel with Crimson

For the past 15 years, the men's Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming League Championships might as well have been called the Princeton and Harvard show.

True, all eight Ivy League teams and Navy have competed each year. But season after season, it has been the Crimson and the Orange and Black who have dominated the medal stand.

This year's meet, which kicks off today in Cambridge, Mass., should prove no different.

The Tigers (9-1 overall, 6-1 EISL) have won their last three meets of the regular season, including impressive victories over Kenyon and Columbia by more than 40 points. But their lone loss came at the hands of Harvard.

"Some guys are really getting themselves psyched up for the big meet," senior co-captain Pat Gremban said.

This season marks the centennial anniversary of the first swimming and diving teams at Princeton. During those 100 years, the Tigers have won 15 EISL championships. The Crimson started to put a dent in Princeton's storied history when Harvard began to dominate in 1992, winning nine championships in 10 years.

The Tigers have started to regain momentum, though, capturing two of the last three titles. Last year's battle indicated just how close the two teams are. The Crimson cut Princeton's lead to just 35.5 points with three events remaining, but the Tigers were able to hold Harvard at bay, ultimately claiming a 1,423-1,338 win.

The Tigers will look to repeat last year's results, but Harvard's strength will make doing so a Herculean task. Harvard cruised to victory in this year's Harvard-Yale-Princeton double dual meet in New Haven, Conn., in early February.

In truth, the lopsided score — 225-128 — was not indicative of the Crimson's minute margins of victory in several events. Senior freestyler Justin Chiles, a consistent top-finisher for the Tigers, was just barely touched out in the 100-yard free, and Princeton's 200 free and 200 medley relay teams also both finished a close second.

Giving Princeton further hope, the dual-meet format favors the Crimson squad, while the championship meet scoring format — which rewards team depth — should play into the Tigers' strengths.

They also have one more ace up their sleeves: their freshman class.

"You never really know how they're going to do until they shave their heads," Gremban said.

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Despite the wealth of young talent, Princeton success over Harvard and the rest of the EISL challengers will ultimately be contingent on the performances from the Tigers' stalwarts.

In addition to the always-speedy Chiles, junior Will Reinhardt has swum extremely well recently in the 50 and 100 free races. The 400 free relay team, composed of Chiles, Reinhardt and seniors Geoff Patterson and Jeremy Tillman, is favored to win its race.

In their way stands the Crimson's nearly unflappable John Cole, who is supported by an equally impressive Harvard squad. The freestyler has proved his versatility this year by dominating in multiple distances.

Princeton is well aware of the times the team will have to consistently swim in order to claim its second straight EISL title. In addition to its usual preparation — several weeks of tapering, designed so that the team peaks this weekend — the swimmers have been consciously watching their diets.

"A lot of the guys have started eating better," Gremban said.

Preliminaries begin at 11 a.m. today and will continue every morning through Saturday. Each day's finals will commence at six p.m.