Three-peat complete

Princeton has never sent so many swimmers to nationals, with the previous record of four set in 1986, when a Tiger relay qualified. Additionally, Princeton has the chance to send two more as part of the 800-yard freestyle relay, which currently ranks 13th in the nation. Only the top 13 relay teams make the cut, and as of now, Princeton is still in the running.

With pure determination, the Tigers finished the meet Saturday night with a final score of 1,651.5 points, more than 150 points ahead of second place Harvard (6-1), which finished with 1,494 points.

The Princeton squad performed the best it has in years, toppling record after record and ultimately establishing itself as a national contender.

Of the 21 swimming events, Princeton’s swimmers took first in a total of 12, set meet records in seven, posted three top-10 national times and set many personal best times. Among all of these benchmarks, there were moments that will never be forgotten.

Seniors Lisa Hamming and Brett Shiflett had swims of a lifetime, clinching one and two individual championships respectively.

Hamming, having missed the 200 individual medley NCAA “A” time by a few tenths of a second, made a move to be remembered during her 400 IM swim Friday night. She picked up the pace in the last 200 yards, creating some distance during the breaststroke leg. With 50 to go, the crowd was wild, as Hamming powered through the freestyle, hitting the wall with an “A” time of four minutes, 15.11 seconds.

Shiflett, at the cusp of reaching the cut, brought her A-game to DeNunzio Pool, swimming faster than she ever had before. In the 500-yard freestyle, Shiflett kept up the pace, as sophomore Alicia Aemisegger was making record-breaking time.

When all was said and done, Shiflett had made the cut, even if it was only good enough for second place in the race. She would go on to dominate the 200 free, a goal that had been in the works since arriving at Princeton.

“In the back of my mind, I really wanted to make NCAAs, but I didn’t know how attainable it was; I had never really gotten that close,” Shiflett said. “Lisa getting her cut definitely motivated me, and we [were] all feeding off each other’s energy.”

Junior Monika Friedman also had a stellar meet, winning both the 100- and 200-yard butterfly. In the 200 fly, Friedman broke out early, keeping separation between her and Harvard’s Kate Mills. Despite a final push from Mills, Friedman held strong, finishing in 1:58.69, another NCAA “A” qualifying time.

Junior diver Katie Giarra also posted some top scores, finishing second in both the one-meter and three-meter events. Her performance at HYP qualified her to compete in the NCAA Zone meet, as she continues to improve despite an injury earlier this season.

The Swimmer of Meet award, however, went to Aemisegger, who has won every individual championship event she has competed in at Princeton. All three of her individual swims were not only record-setting times, but also top five in the nation. Her time of 9:33.43 in the 1,000-yard freestyle is currently the fastest time in the nation.

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Additionally, her outstanding swim during a 200 freestyle time trial was what gave the 800 freestyle relay the extra seconds needed to put it at 13th in the nation. But she wasn’t alone during those eight laps.

“Everyone was on the side of the pool cheering, and everyone was being supportive,” Aemisegger said. “Our team is family and is behind everyone the whole way.”

With its eighth championship in nine years and a total of 18 championships overall, the swimming and diving program has built an unmatched legacy in the Ivy League. After finishing the season ranked 18th in the nation, the only non-scholarship school in the rankings, Princeton will look to prove its success isn’t just local. In a mere three weeks, the five Tiger qualifiers will get the chance to compete in the NCAA championship meet, which will be held at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. The men’s team returns to action in this weekend’s EISL championships.