Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Cornell & Penn
Players Mentioned
Women's Swimming/Diving Opens Ivy Season With Sweep Of Penn, Cornell
November 21, 2008 | Women's Swimming and Diving
Princeton opened the tri-meet by winning the 200 medley relay in 1:48.05. The team of Julie Kochman (back), Courtney Kilkuts (breast), Megan Waters (fly) and Justina DiFazio (free) took first, while Tiger teammates Mary Killian, Kerry Gruendel, Emily Trautner and Jillian Altenburger placed second in 1:49.09.
When the individual events began, Princeton was once again on top. Sophomore Nicole McAndrew won the 1000 free in 10:23.12, while freshman teammate Lauren Shanley took second in 10:29.72. The freshman duo of Altenburger (1:51.84) and Aislinn Smalling (1:53.02) finished 1-2 in the 200 free, while freshman Mary Killian won the 100 back in 58.97 seconds.
Kilkuts returned to the water to win the 100 breast in 1:04.78, while Monika Friedman took the 200 fly in 2:07.40. Both Kilkuts and Friedman are returning Ivy League champions, as well as individual qualifiers to the 2008 NCAA championships. Princeton took seven swimmers to nationals last year to complete one of the most impressive seasons in program history.
Waters won the 50 free sprint by more than a second, an impressive performance in such a short race. She took the event in 23.57, topping Cornell's Sadie Ellison (24.60) and Penn's Andrea Balint (24.74).
The 3-meter diving competition provided a short break for the swim events, but it was far from a break for the Princeton Tigers. Led by senior Katie Giarra, who won with a score of 289.05, Princeton finished 1-2-3 in the event. Seniors Peggy Kearns (235.15) and Shellby Rudd (233.00) followed Giarra; the talented senior crop of divers could once again play a big role in the upcoming Ivy League Championships, which will be held in February.
Waters picked up her second individual win by taking the 100 free in 52.29. Cornell's Heather Miller won the 200 back in 2:07.78, while Killian took second for Princeton in 2:08.08. Kilkuts temporarily matched Waters with a second individual win when she topped Gruendel to win the 200 breast. The Tiger junior finished in 2:20.15, while her freshman teammate came in second in 2:23.78.
Princeton sophomore Ming Ong took the 500 free by nearly five seconds; her winning time of 5:02.75 defeated Penn's Lauren Brandes (5:07.21). Waters made it 3-for-3 in individual races by winning the 100 fly in 57.88, more than a second faster than the rest of the field.
With the dual victories assured, Princeton swam exhibitions the remainder of the night; while the swimmers and divers could work for lifetime bests for qualifying times, their performances would not go towards the team score. Still, there were impressive showings, including another top score for Giarra in the 1-meter diving competition (256.25) and a 200 IM best time of 2:08.98 posted by Altenberger.
Princeton will return to competition the weekend of Dec. 5-7 to compete in the annual Big Al Open at DeNunzio Pool. While the tournament will include several locals, such as Rider and Columbia, national powers Florida and Utah will also travel to Princeton for the weekend competition. Admission is free for all sessions.