Rather than ride the wave of last season’s success, Princeton already has its focus set on this season’s Ivy League and NCAA championships, and swimming even faster.
“The team goals never really change,” women’s head coach Susan Teeter said. “Year after year, we want to represent Princeton as well as possible and have as many people achieve lifetime best performances as we can.”
As a result, the teams are attacking the water with even more determination and hard work.
Both teams graduated exceptionally talented classes, leaving large shoes to fill. But the freshman classes seem up to the challenge.
On the men’s side, nine swimmers and one diver replace the Class of 2010, which was led by tri-captains Daniel Dickerson, Jonathan Hartmann and Chris Quemena. All three were integral in upholding the team’s streak of never losing a dual meet at home since DeNunzio Pool was built in 1990 and in securing the last two Ivy League titles. Although the trio is gone, its passion and talent seems manifest in the Class of 2014.
“I have been very impressed with the work ethic of the freshman class so far,” senior co-captain Pat Biggs said. “They are a great group and definitely have been motivating the upperclassmen with their work ethic.”
“The team is looking extremely strong. We’ve never been so tight-knit and positive,” senior co-captain Colin Hanna said. “Freshman Daniel Hasler and sophomore Charley Wang have both been swimming extremely well early on.”
The women’s team said good-bye to the dynamic duo of co-captains Alicia Aemisegger ’10 — who was named athlete of the decade by GoPrincetonTigers.com, the official website of Princeton athletics — and Courtney Kilkuts ’10. The pair was instrumental in Princeton taking three of the last four Ivy League titles, extending the team’s record to nine of the last 11.
But the 12 swimmers and three divers in the Class of 2014 is just as formidable, if not more so. The class is led by freshman Andrea Kropp, who won the 200-yard breaststroke at the 2010 Speedo Junior National Championships this August, setting a meet record by more than 1.5 seconds in the process.
“The team looks like a bunch of athletes — strong, lean and toned,” senior Megan Waters said. “For the most part, we’re in much better shape than at this point in years past, and it is showing up already. There have been a handful of blowout swims, and the team as a whole is swimming surprisingly well in practice and at meets.”
The Tigers got their feet wet in competition water at an inter-squad meet and in Florida at the end of their training trip during fall break.
The trip to Florida enabled the swimmers to take the hours of hard work they had already put in and ratchet it up to yet another level.
“We all put a lot of solid work in on the training trip, both in terms of endurance and skin tanning!” Hanna said.
The training trip also primed Princeton for competition, which it will first see today and Saturday at the University of Virginia Fall Invitational.
“The UVA meet will be a ‘ball-busting gala fest,’ as our coach would say,” Hanna said.
Virginia’s men’s and women’s programs, ranked No. 9 and No. 11 in the nation, respectively, will provide stiff competition and motivation.
“It’s been a while since we’ve swam against a team that certainly deserves to be mentioned with all the national powerhouses,” Hanna said. “I’m excited to see how our team will rise to the occasion. I think it’s a great opportunity to show our squad what kind of swimming we need to throw down if we want to compete on the national stage.”
The meet will also provide Princeton with a chance to pay respect to the Virginia men’s and women’s teams, which suffered the loss of alumnus and Olympian Fran Crippen, who died swimming in an open-water race in the United Arab Emirates two weeks ago.
“Our hearts go out to their teams and alumni,” Teeter said. “Fran was a great swimmer and a great man.”
Other key meets before championships will include the Big Al Invitational, the home opener Dec. 3–5 and the Harvard-Yale-Princeton meet Jan. 28.
“This is always a very exciting meet where all you’re focused on is beating the swimmer in the lane next to you,” Hanna said.
And that’s something the Tigers plan on doing throughout the season.
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