Princeton University Athletics
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Ivy Champ Women's Swimming Sends Seven, Including 800 Free Relay, To NCAAs
March 05, 2008 | Women's Swimming and Diving
Just when head coach Susan Teeter thought the 2007-08 Princeton women's swimming and diving season couldn't get any better, it took another magical step forward. The NCAA released the official psyche sheet for the 2008 national championship meet, and the Tiger 800 free relay team made the cut. Seven swimmers overall will represent the No. 18 Princeton Tigers, and the divers will look to join the group in two weeks.
Seniors Lisa Hamming and Brett Shiflett, juniors Justina DiFazio and Monika Friedman, sophomores Alicia Aemisegger and Courtney Kilkuts and freshman Meredith Monroe will sport the Orange and Black at the 2008 NCAA Championships, held March 20-22 at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion on the campus of The Ohio State University. While Monroe and DiFazio reached the NCAAs through their brilliant performances on the 800 free relay, the other five qualified with A-cut times in their individual events.
"I'm so proud of this team for all they have accomplished individually and collectively," head coach Susan Teeter said. "We have worked hard all year to be a Top 20 team and we're excited to have it all pay off with these NCAA qualifications. To have seven women qualified so far is great for Princeton and great for the Ivy League."
A relay squad from a non-scholarship program is a rarity at the NCAA Championships. Teeter, who is in her 24th year as the ultra-successful head coach at Princeton, sent a 400 free relay team of Betsy Lind, Darcy Eckert, Tracy Winfree and Lisa Lucas during her second season as head coach. It would take the combination of Monroe, Shiflett, DiFazio and Aemisegger to get another Princeton foursome into the NCAAs. Qualifying was crucial for Princeton as it looks for an all-time best team finish, as the Tigers can now compete in three other relays during the weekend (200 free, 400 free, 400 medley) because they earned B-cut times during the season.
Princeton has never won an NCAA championship in women's swimming and diving, but it has its best chance this year with Aemisegger, Princeton's own Olympic hopeful (click here to read The Times of Trenton feature story on Aemisegger and men's Olympic qualifier Doug Lennox). Aemisegger placed second at the 400 IM and third in the 500 free at the 2007 NCAA Championships and brings national Top-4 times into her three events this season, the 500 free, the 400 IM and the 1650 free. Aemisegger, the 2008 Ivy champion in both the 500 and 1650, has the NCAA's fourth-best time heading into both events. Her best shot at an NCAA title is likely the 400 IM; she ranks third nationally with a time of 4:06.72, even though she didn't swim the event during the Ivy championships. Auburn sophomore Ava Ohlgren, the 2007 NCAA champion, is second nationally with a time of 4:05.78, while Washington freshman Ariana Kukors has the top time at 4:04.68.
Joining Aemisegger in the 500 will be Shiflett, who earned an A-cut time of 4:44.34 during the Ivy League Championships. Shiflett, making her NCAA Championships debut, will be busy during the NCAA weekend, as she also qualified in the 200 free when she won an Ivy League title in 1:46.51. Shiflett is currently ranked 19th in the 200 and 25th in the 500.
Like Shiflett, Hamming will make her NCAA Championships debut in her final year. The senior earned her ticket in dramatic fashion; she won her first career Ivy League championship by going 4:15.11 in the 400 IM. Although not quite the same threat to win the event, Hamming will join Aemisegger to give the Tigers a pair of competitors in this second-day event.
Kilkuts won two Ivy League championships last weekend, but she punched her NCAA ticket during the Big Al Open last December. Her time of 1:59.10 in the 200 IM earned her first trip to nationals and still stands as the 22nd-best time of the season. That mark is also a Princeton record, breaking the mark of Aemisegger from last year. Aemisegger holds seven other Princeton records, though, including one in each of her three NCAA events.
Friedman will have to wait until the final day of NCAAs to compete in the 200 fly, which she qualified for by going 1:58.69 at the Ivy League preliminaries. She will also see a familiar face in the event, as Harvard freshman Kate Mills will join her after going 1:58.73. Friedman, who edged out Mills in a thrilling 200 fly final, has the 20th-best time heading into NCAAs.
While this is a remarkably large squad for a non-scholarship program, Teeter and company would happily make room for more. The NCAA Zone A regionals will be held the week before NCAAs, and Greg Gunn's crew could send at least one representative to NCAAs. Junior Katie Giarra has a strong chance after second-place finishes in both the 1- and 3-meter competitions at the Ivy League Championships.
GoPrincetonTigers.com will have full coverage of each day at the NCAA Championships.