The women's lightweight and open women crews are both unbeaten in 2011, including victories at this month's Eastern Sprints.
Following its 2009 NCAA appearance, the men's water polo team entered 2010 without the eight seniors who had lead them to the Final Four. Short five starters in a game that only puts seven players in the pool, Princeton seemed poised for a rebuilding year. In this midst of reconstructing their team, however, the Tigers came out strong, taking first place at the newly re-instated Ivy League Tournament and finishing third at Eastern Championships.
In 2011, the men’s track and field team ended nearly a decade of Big Red dominance, sweeping both the Indoor and Outdoor Heptagonal Championships to complete a triple crown of cross country, indoor and outdoor Ivy League titles.
The Class of 2011 won more games than any other in the history of the men’s hockey program, but the season ended on a sour note for the most tenured Tigers. Princeton’s season came to a surprising end in the first round of the ECAC Hockey tournament, as St. Lawrence won the final two games of the best-of-three series to upset Princeton at Baker Rink.
When the women’s volleyball team rolled over the competition in its first five Ivy League matches, it seemed poised to capture the Ivy League title without any resistance. The Tigers’ incredible resilience was put to the test early when they faced three five-set matches and two four-setters in their first five regular season contests, but they passed every test with flying colors.
2010-11 was a banner year for Princeton athletics: sophomore Todd Harrity became the first American-born player to win a national squash championship in 21 years, the men's basketball team returned to the NCAA Tournament in dramatic fashion and the program set a new record with 15 Ivy League titles. For a look back at these teams and more, check out our season recaps section.
On a dreary November afternoon, Bob Surace ’90 sat in the cramped press room at the base of Princeton Stadium, a look of utter exhaustion etched on his face as he tried to answer the question on everyone’s minds: What went wrong?
The women's hockey team’s season began on a disappointing note, with the Tigers dropping five of their first six battles on the ice. This start was only the beginning of what became a roller coaster year for Princeton, characterized by both streaks of poor play and streaks of outstanding execution. A seven-game winless streak put the Tigers’ conference record at 3-6-1, and the team was at risk of missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2000-01 season.
The field hockey team, one of Princeton’s most dominant athletic programs, won the Ivy League title for 16th time in the past 17 years in the 2010 season. For such a consistently accomplished squad, though, the campaign was a bittersweet one for the No. 6 Tigers. Amassing both personal and team triumphs but plagued by injuries, the team found itself unable to match the success of the 2009 group that advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament.
It was a normal Thursday morning. Normal, except for the campus-wide tension due to first semester finals. You could walk outside and see people tracing familiar footsteps, going back and forth between the library and dining hall. And then, without warning, it hit. Freshman softball player Khristin Kyllo was found dead in her room on Jan. 13. For the entire Princeton community, and especially for the other 13 members of the Princeton softball team, things would never be the same.
The 2010-11 season brought much success for the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams, from winning two Ivy League titles to becoming a YouTube sensation.
Finishing fourth in the nation, behind top scholarship schools Duke, Penn State and St. John’s, is pretty impressive. The men's and women's fencing teams did just that this season, and the Tigers' fourth-place finish tied their best in program history, matching a feat they accomplished in the 1990s.
The men's and women's golf teams had success at points during the 2010-11 season. The Tigers competed in several fall tournaments and three spring tournaments to prepare for the Ivy League Championship in April.
Despite one of the best seasons ever by a goalie in program history, the 2011 men’s lacrosse team failed to qualify for the Ivy League Tournament and NCAA Tournament and had its worst season since 1988. The Tigers (4-8 overall, 2-4 Ivy League) have not won so few games since former head coach Bill Tierney’s first season.
When the women’s soccer team walked on the pitch at Roberts Stadium for their last game of the 2010 season, the Tigers knew that they controlled their destiny. They were about to face Ivy League nemesis Penn for the conference title and an automatic NCAA Tournament bid with the momentum of a hard-fought overtime win at Cornell fresh in their minds.
Last season, the men’s volleyball team hired head coach Sam Shweisky, who led the squad to an appearance in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association finals for the first time since 1990. There, the Tigers fell to undefeated Penn State, who would later be defeated by Stanford in the finals of the NCAA tournament. Shweisky was named the 2010 EIVA Bob Sweeney Coach of the Year.
Following a 4-3 conference finish last spring in which it was in contention for the Ivy League championship during the final weekend of play, the men’s tennis team entered this year looking to build off the success of last year’s strong freshman class and challenge again for the league title. The women’s team faced a different challenge, as it looked to follow up a dominating 7-0 Ivy League championship season last spring.
For 20 minutes on Saturday, the women’s lacrosse team gave No. 1 Maryland all it could handle, jumping out to an early 3-1 lead and keeping the hosts’ potent offense at bay. But the Terrapins broke through for seven goals in six minutes late in the half and cruised to a 15-6 victory, ending Princeton’s season in the NCAA quarterfinals.
The women's lacrosse team entered 2011 hoping to get back to its winning ways. Three months later, the 12-6 Tigers are three victories away from the national championship entering Saturday’s contest against No. 1 Maryland.
The women’s open and lightweight crews were undefeated in the regular season, and both lived up to high expectations at the Eastern championships in Cherry Hill, N.J. Both teams defeated top rivals from around the region to win championships at EAWRC Sprints.
