Aemisegger heads title defense
The women’s team enters the season ranked No.1 among Division-I mid-majors and will aim to defend its Ivy League crown, which was its fourth straight title and ninth in the last 10 seasons. After a great performance at the NCAA championship meet, the Tigers will be hoping to continue their success and make an impact on the national swimming scene.
In the freestyle event, Princeton returns senior Justina Di Fazio, a multiple Ivy League champion and member of the All-American 800-yard relay team, which placed in the top 16 at NCAAs. The freestyle sprint squad also includes sophomores Megan Waters and Emily Trautner, who both had top-eight finishes at last year’s championship. Sophomores Ming Ong and Nicole McAndrew are two of the Tigers’ key swimmers in the distance group, which will be anchored by the talent of junior Alicia Aemisegger. Aemisegger is arguably the best distance swimmer in the league and one of the best in the nation.
Junior Courtney Kilkuts, an Ivy League champion in the 100-yard breaststroke and a two-time champion in the 200-yard individual medley, will head the breaststrokers and IM swimmers this year. The IM swimmers will welcome an impressive group of freshmen, including Jillian Altenburger, who competed along with Kilkuts in the 200 IM at the Olympic Trials.
In the 400 IM, Aemisegger is expected to dominate. The junior competed last year in both the NCAA 400 IM final and the Olympic Trial final.
Princeton will also return senior Monika Friedman, the Ivy League champion in both the 100- and 200-yard butterfly last year and an NCAA qualifier. Trautner also excels in this event, and freshmen Leslie Bargmann and Erin Kiernan both have impressive fly backgrounds.
Senior Katie Giarra will be top diver for Princeton this year, as she hopes to claim Ivy League titles in both the one- and three-meter competitions. A back injury last year prevented her from competing early in the season, but Giarra returned late to place second in both events at the Ivy League championship.
Eternal rival Harvard looms large
The No. 22 men’s team will have its work cut out for it, as it hopes to recapture the Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming League (EISL) title from No. 25 Harvard. The team, always known for its depth rather than its all-star talent, has welcomed an especially strong freshman class, the No. 5 recruiting class in the nation this year.
Senior Robert Griest and sophomore Pat Biggs will head the freestyle distance division, returning as Princeton’s top scorers from last year’s championship. Griest has been a top performer in the last three years, while Biggs hopes to use the experience he gained freshman year to continue posting big times for the Tigers. Junior Chris Quemena and sophomore Geoff Faux will also be big factors in the freestyle sprint group.
Colin Cordes and Robert Coe will be the freshmen to watch in the backstroke events. Other possible contributors could be sophomore Colin Hanna as well as senior Doug Lennox, who competed in the Olympics for Puerto Rico this summer.
The breaststrokers will be led by senior Easton Chen, Princeton’s top finisher and most consistent scorer in this event. Chen has competed in the championship finals for both the 100- and 200-yard events and hopes to maintain his performance in his final year. Freshmen Ryan Chiu and Jon Christensen will also look to rack up points for the Tigers in this event.
Experienced juniors Michael Papageorge and Daniel Dickerson, who have both competed in EISL championship finals, will lead the divers this year. They will be accompanied by seniors Yarden Fraiman and Drew Wallace, each of whom will be aiming for a championship finals appearance.
Both Princeton squads open the season with the Rutgers Invitational on Friday, Nov. 14.
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