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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Ivy League Championships
Players Mentioned
Women's Swimming Explodes Out Of Gates For Day One Lead
February 23, 2006 | Women's Swimming and Diving
Feb. 23, 2006
Complete Results
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Princeton head women's swimming and diving coach Susan Teeter couldn't have scripted a much better start to the 2006 Ivy League championships. Her Tigers won four of six events in the first session of finals to claim a 102-point lead over host and 2005 champion Harvard.
Princeton, which has won 15 Ivy League titles, including five of the last six, leads the field with 496 team points, while Harvard is second with 394 points. Penn currently holds third place with 289.5 points.
If the Tigers felt that a quick start was critical, they couldn't have been happier with their first three events. Princeton opened with a win in the 200 free relay, as Sobenna George, Justina DiFazio, Chrissy Macaulay and Lisa Hamming finished with a winning time of 1:34.11.
Sophomore Brett Shiflett won a showdown with Harvard's Nicole Bassi in the 500 free, taking the title with a time of 4:51.92. Bassi placed second, and Princeton added key extra points as sophomore Ellen Gray placed third in a time of 4:55.08. Add in Monika Friedman's sixth-place time of 4:58.12, and Princeton scored 83 points in the 500 free final alone.
Princeton followed that up with a 1-2 finish in the 200 IM. Junior Kelly Hannigan became the second Tiger to win in as many events when she took the title in 2:03.13. Hamming placed second in a time of 2:03.27, giving Princeton a major edge on the two Harvard finalists in the same race. Brown's Eileen Robinson won the 50 free, but Princeton placed fourth and sixth in the race. Senior Chrissy Macaulay took fourth in 23.77, while George took sixth in 24.08.
The 1-meter diving competition was the final individual event of the night, and despite not winning the competition, Princeton might have had its biggest surge of the evening in that event. Of the top 10 finishers, five wore the Orange and Black, led by freshman Katie Giarra's score of 263.10, which was good enough for third. Michelle Demond took sixth with 258.75 points, while Shelby Rudd took seventh in 245.15. Ninth went to Peggy Kearns (245.15), while Charlotte Jones rounded out the top 10 with 228.60 points. It was a terrific showing by Greg Gunn's crew, who will look to match that effort later in the 3-meter competition.
Princeton left Blodgett Pool feeling good with a win in the 400 medley relay, edging out the Harvard Crimson by .2 of a second. Hannigan, Sarah Schaffer, DiFazio and Hamming put out a winning time of 3:46.14 to claim the event.
Full information, including Friday heat sheets, can be found here.