Princeton University Athletics
Princeton Swim Invitational To Feature No. 1 Swimmer In The Nation
December 04, 2003 | Women's Swimming and Diving
Dec. 4, 2003
PRINCETON, N.J. - The men's and women's swimming teams at Princeton will spend the weekend hosting the Princeton Invitational, a three-day event that begins Friday, Dec. 5 at DeNunzio Pool. Both teams will look to match last season's championship efforts, although the women will have to overcome the No. 9 California Golden Bears and the premier swimmer in the nation.
California senior swimmer Natalie Coughlin, a three-time NCAA Swimmer of the Year, holds the NCAA record in six events, and has broken six world records and 34 American records. Coughlin will swim in four events this weekend: the 200 IM on Friday, the 100 backstroke and the 100 fly on Saturday and the 200 backstroke on Sunday. Coughlin holds the NCAA record in the100 backstroke (49.97), the100 butterfly (50.01) and the 200 backstroke (1:49.52).
"She's the No. 1 swimmer in the world right now," Princeton head coach Susan Teeter said. "Having her swim in anyone's pool is not only an honor, but it's an exciting opportunity to watch. The Olympic trials are coming up this year in California, so for people on the East Coast, it's a great opportunity to see this incredible athlete and phenomenal represent of swimming." The Princeton women, undefeated in dual meets every season since the 1998-99 campaign, have won four straight Ivy League championships and will attempt to pull off the upset against its Western opponents. The men's swimming team, which has placed in the top two in the Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming League (EISL) for 21 straight seasons, is undefeated so far this season, including a 72-point victory over Brown earlier in the year.
"We love swimming in our pool, especially swimming at this level at our pool," Teeter said. "Having Cal-Berkeley come here is a real compliment to our program and the level that we have reached."
Local rivals Rider, The College of New Jersey and Rutgers are among the other schools that will compete in the Invitational.
There will be six sessions for the Invitational. On Friday and Saturday, preliminaries will begin at 11 a.m. and finals will begin at 7 p.m., while on Sunday, the preliminaries will begin at 10 a.m. and the finals will begin at 6 p.m.
Admission is free for all sessions.
Weekend Finals Schedule
Friday
Women's 200 Free Relay
Men's 200 Free Relay
Women's 500 Freestyle
Men's 500 Freestyle
Women's 200 IM
Men's 200 IM
Women's 50 Freestyle
Men's 50 Freestyle
Women's Diving 1-Meter
Men's Diving 1-Meter
Women's 400 Medley Relay
Men's 400 Medley Relay
Saturday
Women's 200 Medley Relay
Men's 200 Medley Relay
Women's 400 IM
Men's 400 IM
Women's 100 Butterfly
Men's 100 Butterfly
Women's 200 Freestyle
Men's 200 Freestyle
Women's 100 Breaststroke
Men's 100 Breaststroke
Women's 100 Backstroke
Men's 100 Backstroke
Women's Diving 3-Meter
Men's Diving 3-Meter
Women's 800 Free Relay
Men's 800 Free Relay
Sunday
Women's 1650 Freestyle
Men's 1650 Freestyle
Women's 200 Backstroke
Men's 200 Backstroke
Women's 100 Freestyle
Men's 100 Freestyle
Women's 200 Breaststroke
Men's 200 Breaststroke
Women's 200 Butterfly
Men's 200 Butterfly
Women's Diving 3-Meter
Men's Diving 3-Meter
Women's 400 Free Relay
Men's 400 Free Relay