Tigers dominate relays on way to win at Brown

Neither an over-chlorinated pool nor a strong Brown team could stop the women's swimming and diving team from acting like sharks among guppies, crushing all competition en route to a first-place finish at the Brown Invitational last weekend. Princeton won the first event of the three-day meet and never relinquished the lead, easily outdistancing Ivy League foe Brown, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Florida International.

The Tigers received especially strong performances from senior Sarah Schaffer, sophomore Lisa Hamming and sophomore Brett Shiflett. Schaffer recorded victories in the 100-yard breaststroke, the 100 backstroke and the 200 breaststroke, while also swimming on the winning 400 and 800 medley relay teams. Hamming notched wins in the 200 and 400 individual medleys, while also participating on the winning 400 medley and 800 freestyle winning teams. Shiflett took 200 and 500 freestyle competitions, while also anchoring the winning 800 freestyle relay.

In total, Princeton swimmers won 11 of the 18 events, including four of the five relay events.

"The swims were excellent," head coach Susan Teeter said. "Great swims by our sprinters across the board."

While many of the battles were close between Princeton and Brown swimmers — many decided by hundredths of seconds — the Tigers consistently came out on top.

"We're certainly glad to be on the winning side of that finish," Teeter said.

While Princeton held the lead wire-to-wire, the tone of the meet was set with the first event, a 200 freestyle relay battle between the Tigers and the Bears. Though Brown's team had been known as one of the top relay teams in the Ivy League going into the meet, it was the Princeton foursome of sophomore Katie Miller, senior Chrissy Macaulay, sophomore Suzanne Rossi and junior Sobenna George that gutted out the 1.5-second victory.

"Winning the first event was special," Teeter said. "We took that as a good start for our team."

Shiflett and Hamming subsequently built on that start with their respective wins in the 500 free and 200 IM. Princeton finished day one with another narrow victory over Brown in the 400 medley relay. A team of junior Kelly Hannigan, freshman Justine Di Fazio, Schaffer and Hamming edged out a tough squad by a mere three-hundredths of a second. The Tigers felt confident to have won four of the first five events but also excited to have pulled off such narrow relay victories.

Saturday saw two more relay victories for Princeton, including a seven-hundredths of a second victory over Brown in the day-opening 200 medley relay. Day two also included victories by Schaffer in two consecutive races, as well as another victory for Shiflett.

The divers added their fair share to Princeton's point total. Junior diver Michelle De Mond and freshman Peggy Kearns each garnered an NCAA Zone Qualification mark in the women's platform dive.

By day three, a victory for the Tigers was all but official, but they did not let up. Schaffer recorded her third victory, while Hannigan and the 400 freestyle relay each notched second-place finishes. By the end of the long weekend, the team had easily outdistanced itself from the competition.

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Throughout the entire weekend, several problems plagued competitors from all teams. Too much chlorine was put into the pool before the meet began. Consequently, the air quality of the room suffered, and competitors from all teams were subject to coughing, wheezing, burning eyes and difficulty breathing during races.

"Under these circumstances we were very pleased with the fight and determination of our team in all races," Teeter said.

Princeton is now finished for the remainder of winter break. It will participate in a scrimmage against Navy Jan. 5-7. The Tigers return to official Ivy League action Jan. 29 when they battle Dartmouth in Hanover, N.H.