Season, careers end with strong win

After the match, the Tiger seniors celebrated in typical Orange and Black style.

“Afterwards we [the seniors] went to Nassau Sushi and ordered like 18 dishes,” senior Seok Jun Lee said. “Then we went to Cloister initiations and finished with a Hoagie Haven run.”

During a humorous series of short speeches given during a break in the action, Lee was introduced as “30 years old.” The unique ceremony, designed to honor each senior’s time at Princeton, was well received by the opposition and the spectators, who burst out in laughter again and again at some of the candid details of the athletes’ lives.

It was a fitting way to commemorate a fine final season, blemished only by a loss to undefeated Harvard (9-0, 8-0) two weeks ago at Yale. But Princeton was all business before the ceremony, with several key Tiger wins wrapped up before the senior roast began.

The evening began with a win in the 200 medley relay, as the team of junior Doug Lennox, sophomore George Rae-Grant, junior Michael Carter and freshman Geoff Faux finished in one minute, 31.95 seconds to fight off competition from their Manhattan counterparts.

Columbia’s team of Adam Powell, Zach Glassman, Steven Ko and Darren Pagan came in second with a time of 1:33.74. Princeton captured three of the top four spots in the race.

Junior Robert Griest then made sure the night was heading in the right direction as he sealed a thumping victory in the 1,000-meter freestyle. Griest’s 9:16.26 finish bested his nearest competitor by more than seven seconds.

With the Orange and Black firmly in the driver’s seat, the meet began to be more of a competition between fellow Tigers, as sophomore Chris Quemena bested classmate Jon Hartmann in 1:39.80 to win the 200 free. Junior John LaMonaca also fought for glory against friendly rival Rae-Grant in the 100-meter breaststroke, with LaMonaca ultimately triumphing in a blistering 57.27 seconds.

The Tigers kept cruising, and a friendly battle between freshmen Faux and Alex Verdegem took place in the 50 free. Faux surfaced to a win in 20.76 seconds, as his classmate came out of the water second in 20.87 seconds. Lennox won against Hartmann with a time of 45.64 seconds in the 100 free.

Lennox also won the 200 fly with a time of 1:47.95, and sophomore A.J. Walker posted a winning time of 51.72 in the 100 back. Walker also won the 200 back in 1:50.88, and Carter won the 100 fly in 49.70.

In diving, Princeton sophomore Michael Papageorge claimed the three-meter diving competition with a total of 372.45 points, which put him ahead of senior Stuart Malcolm in second place and sophomore Dan Dickerson in third. Papageorge also tallied 321.74 points, the highest score on the one-meter board.

In an interesting twist, Papageorge’s performance was officially labeled as an exhibition event because the meet’s outcome had already been decided.

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Columbia managed to reduce the gap to 50 points in the end, though at one point the gap had been nearly 100.

The Tigers’ cool cruise to victory now leaves them with three weeks to prepare for the EISL Championship at Harvard, which starts on March 6.

“The championship is really what’s most important,” Lee said. “It’s nice to have a good season record, but we’ll have to perform well at Harvard. We also lost [to Harvard], so hopefully we can rectify that.”

The seniors will have a tough task on their hands, however, as they scramble back and forth between their carrels and the pool. Though their academic and athletic challenges may be daunting, the Class of 2008 will be more eager than ever in their charge on both fronts.