Princeton University Athletics
TIGERS CLAIM FOUR IVY TITLES
June 16, 2000 | General
Six months earlier Jason White was probably more concerned about securing a prom date than an Ivy League title. Maisa Batawy was preparing for finals ... at Harvard. Sabrina King and Paul Morrison were successful athletes at Princeton, though neither had established clear dominance in their respective sports yet.
Each had separate agendas during the spring of 1999. The fall of that year--the last complete season of the 1900s--was a different story completely, each member of the quartet helped bring an Ivy League championship to Old Nassau in dramatic fashion on the final day of league competition.
The men's soccer team hadn't claimed outright supremacy in the Ivy League since 1960, but it stood on the verge of that elusive championship heading into the final minute of the season-ending game against Yale. The Tigers needed only a tie to clinch the championship, and freshman sensation Jason White, who would be named to the All-Ivy League first team, had already made six saves to help keep the game scoreless. With precious seconds remaining, a corner kick was batted away by White to ensure the 0-0 tie and bring coach Jim Barlow and his Tigers the championship.
The field hockey team had been one of the dominant powers in the nation over the past five years, but Beth Bozman's 1999 squad featured eight new starters, half of whom were freshmen. The natural growing pains hit the Tigers in a 2-1 loss at Brown, which put their unprecedented five-year domination of the Ivy League in jeopardy. Needing a win at Harvard, freshman Ilvy Friebe scored late in regulation to tie the game and junior Melanie Meerschwam, one of the most talented players in the nation, ended the game with a goal in overtime. Princeton caught a long overdue break when Batawy, a sophomore at Harvard, scored in overtime on the final day of the regular season to defeat Brown and give Princeton a share of the title.
Princeton has been the powerhouse in men's track and field throughout the late '90s, and the squad put an exclamation point on the decade with another triumph at the cross country Heptagonals to claim its third straight league title. Sophomore Paul Morrison ran away from the competition, finishing 17 seconds faster than second-place teammate Mike Spence. Morrison continued to impress in the NCAA championship race by finishing eighth overall--behind six seniors and a freshman from Kenya. Both Morrison and Spence earned All-America honors as the Tigers finished in the Top 20.
The Tigers, long the standard in women's volleyball, captured only one title in the last three years. Princeton won six of seven matches during the regular season, led by Ivy League Player of the Year Sabrina King. The lone defeat came at the hands of Harvard, whom Princeton met in the championship match of the tournament. King, named tournament MVP, and Ivy League Rookie of the Year Michelle Buffum led the Tigers to an emotional five-game win for Princeton's 11th league volleyball title.
Unofficial* Fall Ivy Standings
1. Princeton (42 pts.), 2. Brown (39.5), 3. Harvard (33.5), 4. Dartmouth (33), 5. Cornell (30), 6. Yale (27), 7. Penn (26.5), 8. Columbia (20.5)
* The above unofficial comparison is a statistical analysis of the overall athletic performances of the eight Ivy League schools. It is based on a point system, which awards eight points for first place in each sport, seven for second, down to one point for eighth place.
Unofficial Ivy Standings
1. Princeton 25 17 42
2. Brown 25 14.5 39.5
3. Harvard 14.5 19 33.5
4. Dartmouth 18 15 33
5. Cornell 18.5 11.5 30
6. Yale 16.5 10.5 27
7. Penn 15 11.5 26.5
8. Columbia 11.5 9 20.5