Women's swimming and diving comes from behind, takes Ivy League championships

In what was a sensational weekend, the Women’s Swimming and Diving Team claimed the Ivy League Championship after an unbelievable comeback. This victory marked the 22nd time that the Women’s Swimming & Diving Team has been crowned as Ivy League Champions, completing a weekend that finished in exciting fashion.

The Tigers finished with 1423 points, while Harvard had 1401.5 and Yale finished with 1377. The top three easily distanced the other five schools, with 4th place Penn only winning 952 points. Not only did Princeton complete a stunning comeback, but it was also one of the most tightly contested championships in recent history, with the 21.5 point gap between Princeton and Harvard being the smallest gap since 2004, when Princeton bested Harvard by just 15.5 points.

Victory did not come easily this time around, however, as Princeton had to make up a 92-point gap going into the final six events of the last session of the championship, which was hosted at Harvard’s Blodgett Pool.

Princeton, Harvard and Yale were locked into a three-horse race after the first two days, and the Tigers held their own through some fantastic victories. First, junior Elizabeth McDonald put in a fantastic individual performance to claim two first-place finishes. McDonald started the day with a pool record victory in the 200 free relay alongside junior Nikki Larson, sophomore Kathleen Mulligan and freshman Madelyn Veith before claiming her first individual Ivy League title in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 22.72. Larson, who came third with a time of 22.85, joined her on the podium.

Sophomore and star diver Caitlin Chambers continued her dominance of the Ivy League later that afternoon by claiming the one-meter diving competition, extending her undefeated Ivy run to one full year.

The second day provided more success for Princeton, especially via freshman Claire McIlmail as she claimed two victories, one in the 200 free, where she finished with a time of 1:47.21. She was also a huge factor in Princeton’s 800 free relay victory, making up a 1.5 second deficit as the team posted a time of 7:14.58. The Tigers kept themselves close to the top through the 200 medley relay as they finished second, as well as in the 100 fly, where four Tigers finished in the top six.

All this built up to the exciting finale, where Harvard would build up their lead — which at certain stages extended to triple digits — but a strong team performance in the 100 free put Princeton back into the race with a deficit of just 11 points. However, the tide turned for Princeton after the three-meter diving final, where Chambers was once again her fantastic self, breaking a pool and meet record with 360.55 points. The race for the title then came down to the final event, the 400 free relay, and the team did not disappoint, coming through in the clutch via Larson, McDonald, McIlmail and Veith, who completed the meet with another victory.

This fantastic performance marked the 17th Ivy League Championship for coach Susan Teeter, who had long ago etched her name in Tigers history.

“I couldn’t be any prouder of the team for the effort and sacrifice they made for each other throughout the season and during this incredible weekend," Teeter said.

However, their season is not yet finished, and the women’s swimming and diving team will look forward to the NCAA Qualifying Meet at DeNunzio Pool this Sunday at 10 a.m.