Women roll over Lions
The victory against the Lions is the 23rd straight win for No. 25 Princeton (7-0, 7-0) as the Tigers finish their third consecutive undefeated season.
Senior Katie Giarra, who has dominated this season in the Ivy League, put the Tigers on the board first with an impressive performance on the three-meter board, defeating Columbia’s Shannon Hosey, who placed second. Hosey would edge Giarra in the one-meter competition later in the meet.
Princeton established a good tempo early on, taking first and second in the 200-yard freestyle, with senior co-captain Justina DiFazio leading the way, followed closely by junior NCAA qualifier Courtney Kilkuts.
The Tigers also had a dominant performance in the 200-yard butterfly, with freshman Leslie Bargman, sophomore Nicole McAndrew and senior Joelle Milov finishing first through third, respectively.
The Orange and Black sealed the deal with top finishes in four of the last five events, including one-two finishes in the 200-yard breaststroke and the 100-yard butterfly.
Junior Alicia Aemisegger broke the Columbia pool record in the 200-yard individual medley set by former Lion and Olympian Cristina Teuscher. The time stands as the third-fastest 200-yard IM this season, with Kilkuts holding the fastest time.
Greist leads charge against Navy
In a meet full of excitement and intensity, No. 21 Princeton (6-0, 6-0) refused to roll over after spectacular victories at the HYP meet last week, pulling ahead of the Midshipmen in the last event by clinching first, third and seventh in 400m freestyle relay. Both teams came in with impressive records, with Navy trying to protect its strong tradition of home success.
Princeton struck first, finishing first and second in the 200m medley relay and first through third in the 800m freestyle. Senior tri-captain Robert Griest led the distance team in the 800m, finishing in 8 minutes, 7.14 seconds, more than a second faster than second-place finisher sophomore Patrick Biggs. The lead didn’t last very long, as Navy took the top finishes in the following two events. This back-and-forth continued as both teams wrestled for the lead.
“It’s always tough to go down to Annapolis and race the Navy guys, and particularly this year we have a target on our chests after beating Harvard,” Griest said. “It’s difficult to get up and race your best at every meet, but I think that as the undefeated team you are held to that standard because your competition wants to beat you that much more.”
The nationally ranked Tigers rose to the challenge, with freshman Matt Jacobson stepping up in the 200m breaststroke, leading the way for a top finish, followed by teammates in second and fourth place. While the Tigers did not take the spot in all events, impressive performances in the second through fifth positions brought in the points to defeat another deep squad like Navy.
Olaf Olson, the top Midshipman and a top contender in the Patriot League, defeated junior Daniel Dickerson on both the one-meter and three-meter boards. Dickerson settled for third in both diving events.
Despite great performances all around, Princeton needed a top performance in the 400m freestyle relay, in which the Tigers have dominated this season. Thanks to both its depth and talent, the Princeton squad pulled ahead.
“The high point of the meet was the final relay. We had to win the relay to win the meet, and [senior Doug] Lennox, [senior Mike] Carter, [sophomore Geoff] Faux and [junior Jon] Hartmann stepped up under pressure,” said Griest.
The women’s team now has a little less than three weeks to prepare for the Ivy League Championships, where it will aim to defend its title and qualify many Tigers to the NCAAs. The men’s team will be tested once again against Columbia in the coming weekend and then will finish the preparations for its conference meet in early March.
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