Big Al Invite shows promise for women's swimming

In the first annual Big Al Invitational Swim Meet, the women's swimming and diving team honored the memory of fallen comrade Alan Ebersole '07 with a number of strong performances.

The meet, named after a late swimmer on the men's team, is essentially an exhibition match with no overall team scoring. It provides a valuable opportunity for the swimmers to face competitors from opposing teams for the first time this season without the pressure of a conference match. For the freshman swimmers it was their first experience in intercollegiate competition.

The two-day meet, held at DeNunzio Pool, was attended by a number of different teams including NYU, The College of New Jersey and a variety of competitive high school club teams from the greater New Jersey area.

The meet was a prime opportunity for the Tigers to do a final assessment of both their strengths and their weaknesses before the season really kicks off.

"We were trying to gauge where we are in our training," said freshman swimmer Meghan Capparell, who finished first in the 200-yard backstroke. "It was a pretty relaxed atmosphere."

The Tigers went in with high expectations, and, from the very beginning all the way up until the final moments of the meet, demonstrated that this year will be no exception to their long history of top finishes despite the blow taken from the graduation of one of its top swimmers, Stephanie Hsiao '05. Princeton saw a number of solid victories from seasoned veterans as well as from incoming its incoming freshmen.

Princeton opened the meet by sweeping first, second and third in the 200-yd freestyle relay. Sophomore Brett Shiflett, a member of the second-place relay team, also took first place in the 200-yd freestyle. Shiflett is expected to be a real contender not only in the Ivy League but also at the NCAA meet.

Junior Sarah Schaffer put on an exciting display, as she took second place in the 100-yd backstroke and 200-yd backstroke and first place in the 100-yd breaststroke.

The Tigers also claimed eight of the top 10 spots for the 50-yard freestyle race.

Despite competing against relatively easy opponents in the meet, Princeton's strong results has proved that the team has a lot to work with this season. Dominance like this will be a heavy advantage when the level of the Tigers' competition increases.

A number of Princeton's strengths came to light in the meet, and they should help propel the team to the top of the Ivy League in coming weeks.

"Our individual medleys, relays and the overall depth of our team seem to be our biggest strengths," Capparell said.

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The sheer depth of the Tiger squad, evident from the plethora of Princeton names that graced the top of the box score, may prove to be its biggest asset. Plagued by a number of injuries last season, a dynamic team with plenty of players willing to step up and contribute will prove crucial in overcoming these potential setbacks.

But with the team at full capacity, the Tigers can be a real force in the Ivy League. The depth of the Princeton roster will also help to ensure that the Tigers put forth a well-balanced attack; they don't seem to be lacking in any one event.

The Tigers will continue to develop these strengths over the course of the next couple weeks when conference action begins this Saturday.

The divers put forth a solid showing as well. Under the leadership of senior Katie Fiorella, junior Michelle DeMond and sophomore Charlotte Jones, the Tigers were able to match the successes of the swim team with dominant performances of their own. The diving squad should provide a real advantage for Princeton in the coming weeks.

The Tigers will be hosting both Cornell and Penn this coming Saturday at DeNunzio Pool to kick off conference play. The Tigers will be traveling to Rutgers the next day to take on the Scarlet Knights.