Every Tuesday, Sports and Data writers analyze recent athletic competitions to provide analysis and insight on the happenings of Princeton athletics and individual players across the 38 intercollegiate teams at Princeton. Whether they are record-breaking or day-to-day, statistics deliver information in concise ways and help inform fans who might have missed the action. Read past By the Numbers coverage here.
Princeton Tigers: Sept. 18–23
Twenty-one games and matches were played across nine sports and six U.S. states over the past six days. Of the 13 games where only one team came out on top, the Tigers won 62 percent of matches, a slight increase over last edition’s 60 percent. Multiple-day meets and tournaments are counted individually for each day of the competition. Competitions with more than one event or individual results — such as golf and cross country — are not included in our win percentage analysis.
This week, the Tigers won over three-fifths of their games. They were buoyed by their home field advantage, winning 80 percent of games at Old Nassau. The Tigers also held their own on the road, splitting their eight contests.
Mighty Marco
In Princeton football’s heartbreaking loss to San Diego on Saturday, senior linebacker and captain Marco Scarano recorded an astounding 18 tackles, covering every part of the field. The Connecticut native is the first Tiger to reach that many tackles since 2014.
Spreading the wealth
In their dominant win 16–7 over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, men’s water polo showcased their well-balanced offense, with 10 different scorers. After losing all-time program goal leader Roko Pozaric ’25, the Tigers haven’t missed a step.
Tiger in the top 10
First-year field hockey midfielder Caitlin Thompson made her debut on SportsCenter’s Top 10 with a scintillating between-the-legs assist to senior midfielder Beth Yeager, giving the Tigers a win over Penn.
Draper’s Dishes
Junior setter Sydney Draper of women’s volleyball recently reached 2000 assists on Friday in a game against Penn State, joining rarified Tiger company. Less than 10 Tigers have reached that mark, but it is unlikely any will ever touch all-time leader Melissa Ford ’00, who recorded 4,953 assists.
Reachable records
In men’s water polo, senior utility JP Ohl and junior goalie Kristóf Kovács will likely be entering the all-time assists and saves record books, respectively. Ohl, who has produced two of the top three assist seasons in Tiger history, is only 20 assists away from surpassing the current top mark of 220 set by Ryan Wilson ’19. Kovács, after making a record 376 saves last season, needs just 69 saves to be second ever in Tiger history for career saves.
Orange Crush
Like the famed Denver Broncos defense of the ’70s, men’s soccer has stifled opposing offenses. Through the first five games of the season, the unit — led by junior goalie Andrew Samuels — only conceded two goals, the fewest in that span since 2001.
From individual and team offensive feats to running away with awards, the Tigers notched many successes as they start to open Ivy League play. Check back in next week to learn about all things Princeton Athletics — By The Numbers.
Harrison Blank is a head Sports editor at the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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