This week in Sports news: Transfer portal and world championships
Coming off a historic 2023 calendar year — which saw multiple programs make their mark on a national level — The Daily Princetonian looked at the biggest news stories involving past and present Tigers this week. This week, current Tigers were nationally recognized, coaching positions were filled, and some Princeton athletes have entered their names into the transfer portal.
Sarah Fillier wins third World Championship with Team Canada
Women’s ice hockey senior forward Sarah Fillier won her third world title in the past four years with Team Canada at the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championships.
They won gold after defeating Team USA 6–5, avenging last year’s loss at the 2023 World Championships where they lost 6–3. Fillier had two goals and an assist during the Canadians’ seven tournament games. Fillier now has multiple international medals, including three IIHF gold medals, a silver medal, and an Olympic Gold in 2022.
Wrestling alum look to book ticket to Paris
This weekend, Quincy Monday and Matt Kolodzik ’20 will compete at the 2024 U.S. Olympics team trials with hopes of booking a ticket to the Paris Olympics. They will be representing the NJRT, run by Humphrey. Monday is the fourth seed and will compete in the 74 kg weight class while Kolodzik is the seventh seed and will compete in the 65 kg weight class.
"I’ve been training for this tournament the whole year while on staff at Princeton, but since the college season has ended, I’ve been fully focused on prepping for the trials," Monday wrote to The Daily Princetonian.
Monday and Kolodzik are both Tiger wrestling greats. Monday is a three-time All-American and one of four people in program history with two top-three finishes at the NCAA championships (2022, 2023). Kolodzik is Princeton’s only four-time All-American and a former Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association champion.
“They only take the champions at each weight to the Olympics, so my goal is to win it,” Monday added. “I’m excited to compete here my first year on the senior level, and I’m just enjoying the process and living in the moment.”
Cody Brewer: Wrestling’s newest addition to the coaching staff
Princeton wrestling head coach Joe Dubuque has been busy filling his coaching staff. With Quincy Monday ’23 and Reece Humphrey announced earlier this year, it looked like the program was set.
However, after the conclusion of the season, Humphrey announced on Instagram that he would be returning to the New Jersey Regional Training Center (NJRT) full-time, leaving yet another vacant position on Dubuque’s staff. Dubuque filled the vacant position with Cody Brewer.
Brewer was a standout wrestler at Oklahoma, where he was a two-time Big-12 champion and a national champion in 2015. Following his collegiate career where he achieved 95 wins, Brewer joined the Northwestern coaching staff before joining the Virginia Tech staff, where his latest gig was. Brewer joins the Tigers as they look to get back on the national stage following the loss of long-time head coach Chris Ayres.
Transfer portal hits the Tigers
The tumultuous transfer portal always hits NCAA basketball programs hard, even the Ivy League. Yale lost their star center Danny Wolf, Harvard their first-year sensation Malik Mack, and Brown their valuable center Nana Owusu-Anane, while the Tigers kept their key core together, only losing depth. This month, three men’s basketball players have entered the transfer portal. At the beginning of the month, sophomore forward Vernon Collins Jr. announced on Twitter that he was entering his name in the transfer portal. The North Carolina native has seen little playing time with the Tigers under head coach Mitch Henderson ’98. Against Division I opponents, Collins never saw the floor for more than three minutes. Collins has two years of eligibility remaining.
Similarly to Collins, first-year guard Ryan Duncan entered the portal last week. Duncan has three years of eligibility remaining and will likely look for a new program with more opportunities for him to get some playing time. The Tigers starting lineup remained the same throughout the entire 2023–24 season.
The most surprising and impactful decision came on Monday morning, when sophomore wing Jack Scott entered the portal. Scott played in all 29 games off the bench, providing a big spark for Henderson’s team in big moments. He was in line to have a bigger role next year, prompting questions as to the reason for his departure. Furthermore, Scott’s parents both attended Princeton, and his father coached the Tigers from 2004–2007. His father currently coaches at the Air Force Academy.
Blake Dietrick ’15 signs with the Los Angeles Sparks
Women’s basketball alum Blake Dietrick ’15 — a former unanimous Ivy League player of the Year — was signed yesterday by the Los Angeles Sparks to a training camp contract. Dietrick last appeared in a WNBA game in 2021 with the Atlanta Dream.
After leading Princeton to a 30–0 record her senior year, she was signed by the Seattle Storm and appeared in two games for the squad in 2016. After some unsuccessful stints in the WNBA, Dietrick took her talents overseas, where she played professionally in Greece, Australia, and France. Recently, in 2023, she helped Team USA achieve gold at the 2023 Women's 3x3 basketball Pan American Games.
Dietrick will look to impress the Sparks during training camp and earn a spot on the active roster for the 2024 season.
Chet Nweke heads to the nation’s capital
Women’s basketball senior guard Chet Nweke announced she will be spending her graduate year with Georgetown women’s basketball. Despite starting the season coming off the bench, Nweke quickly transitioned into a full-time starter for Carla Berube’s program towards the back half of the season.
Against fellow NCAA tournament team Columbia, Nweke recorded 17 points. The Hoyas are coming off a successful season where they finished with a 23–12 record and received a bid to the Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament (WBIT). Nweke will look to help the program build off this successful season and make the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2011.
Coulter Mackesy named Tewaaraton Award finalist
Men’s lacrosse standout and junior attacker Coulter Mackesy was named as a Tewaaraton Award nominee for the second straight year. The list recognizes the 25 best men’s lacrosse players in the country. Five of the 25 will move on to the final round of finalists on May 9th.
Mackesy has already cemented himself as one of the all-time Tiger lacrosse players. Through 11 games this season, the Brunswick School graduate has 27 goals and 17 assists. He ranks ninth all-time in goals with 110 career goals and holds the program record for goals in a season with 55 (2023).
Hayk Yengibaryan is an associate Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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