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Women's Swimming/Diving Opens Promising Season With Big Al Open
November 12, 2009 | Women's Swimming and Diving
Susan Teeter, who has led the Tigers to 13 Ivy League championships during her 25 years as head coach of the Princeton women's swimming and diving team, sat in her office during the preseason with no illusions about the challenge in front of her.
After winning eight of nine Ivy League titles during the decade, Princeton was caught last season by a talented Harvard squad that doesn't lose much for the upcoming season. Furthermore, the Ivy League Championships will be in Crimson confines during the final weekend of February.
But Teeter has never shied away from a challenge, and she isn't about to start now.
“I know Harvard has a solid team, and I know much of their championship team is back,” said Teeter, who will guide Princeton into the season-opening Big Al Open this weekend. “But I am excited by what I've seen from our team in the preseason. I love the energy and the commitment to detail. It has been very inspiring.”
Fresh off their preseason Florida trip, which GoPrincetonTigers.TV will show highlights from next week, Princeton is ready to continue one of the strongest runs in the proud history of its women's swimming and diving program. While the Tigers placed second in the league last season, they did post two very impressive results.
First of all, Princeton improved its dual meet win streak to 24 with a sweep of the Ivy League season, including a win over both Harvard and Yale during the annual HYP weekend. The Tigers would love nothing more to see that stretch to beyond 30 this season, which includes five league meets at DeNunzio Pool. The HYP weekend will take place Jan. 30 at 5 p.m., while the seniors will race for the final time at home Feb. 5 against Columbia.
The final impressive result last season came at the NCAA Championships, when Princeton placed 18th overall. It was the highest finish for a non-scholarship program and the second-highest finish for a non-BCS program. Although Katie Giarra '09 was part of that effort, months before her graduation, Teeter believes there are a number of potential NCAA qualifiers — and that group is led by her brilliant duo of captains, Alicia Aemisegger and Courtney Kilkuts.
“I don't see how everybody can't be motivated by those two,” Teeter said. “They are not only the two best swimmers on the team, they are the two hardest workers. That is such a biggest advantage for us, because you've got two people who just work so hard. When those two talk, people listen.”
Aemisegger and Kilkuts may be the two most decorated members of the program, but it will take a superior team effort to dethrone Harvard for Princeton's 17th overall Ivy League championship.
FREESTYLE
Leading the sprint free group is junior Megan Waters, the only Princeton woman to ever go below 23 seconds in the 50. She set the Tiger record at 22.83 last year and earned Top-3 finishes in both the 50 and the 100 at the Ivy League Championships. In both cases, she lost only to seniors, so she enters the upcoming season as a favorite in both events.
Sophomore Jillian Altenburger has a year of experience under her belt and was one of Princeton's top freshmen last season. She could be in for an even stronger year after an All-Ivy performance in the 200 last year. She was also a consolation finalist in the 100 and could be a major factor in both individual and relay competitions this year.
Classmate Aislinn Smalling was a finalist in the 200 and placed sixth in the 1650 and 11th in the 500, so she will factor into the mid-distance and distance free events. Juniors Nicole McAndrew and Emily Trautner have both had strong preseasons, and Teeter is hopeful that both will also factor into the free events. Junior Ming Ong and sophomore Lauren Shanley, both of whom were Top 10 in the 1000 and Top 16 in the 1650, are also names to watch in the distance.
And then there is Aemisegger, who is a perfect 9-for-9 in Ivy League Championship finals. She holds the Princeton record in the 500 (4:38.02), the 1000 (9:33.43) and the 1650 (15:50.60), and she is the reigning Ivy League champion in both the 500 and the 1650; she didn't compete in the 1000 last year, although she won that title in both 2007 and 2008. For Teeter, the big challenge during the championship weekend is deciding which three events to send her out; Aemisegger, a 10-time All-America and 2008 Olympic Trials finalist, takes care of the rest when she gets to the starting block.
Freshman Kathy Qu, a multiple gold medalist at the British Columbia Provincial Championships, could be a new impact performer in the free for Princeton this season.
BACK
Waters moved from the sprint free to the 100 back at last year's Ivy League championship meet and placed second overall; she missed the title by .01 of a second, the closest finish during the weekend. Waters and Ong were among the top performers in this stroke for Princeton last season, although Teeter is looking for a better overall performance this season by the time the league weekend comes around.
One potential contributor is freshman Alexa Powers, a seven-time All-America nominee and a 16-time CIF NCS finalist. The three-time USA Swimming Scholastic All-America has already impressed Teeter, and she could be a viable threat in this event if she continues her steady growth.
BREAST
Kilkuts' best event is the 200 IM, but she has been a steady performer and former Ivy League champion in the breast events. As a junior, she finished second in the 100 and third in the 200, and both races were won by Ivy League record-setting times. Kilkuts will look to challenge for another All-Ivy, and hopefully championship, performance in both events.
Teeter is hopeful for a strong second year out of both Kerry Gruendel and Caitlin Baran. Both were exciting recruits heading into last season, but neither reached a championship final in either the 100 or 200. With a year of experience for both of them, Teeter could see them making a big leap this season and contending for bigger team points for the 2010 championships.
Sophomore Hannah Cody also could make a move forward this year. Outside of Kilkuts, she was Princeton's top finisher in the 100 and she made the consolation final in the 200.
Freshman Sarah Furgatch qualified for NCSA junior nationals and was a USA Swimming Short Course Senior National qualifier in both breast events. She will likely be an immediate contributor for the Orange and Black.
FLY
The biggest move forward for Princeton will need to come in the fly, where the Tigers only have one current swimmer who made even the consolation final of this stroke last year. The graduation of Monika Friedman opens the door for the Princeton roster to come in and become the team leader in these events.
McAndrew was a 10th-place finisher last year in the 200, while Trautner placed 20th in the 100. Since those two have caught Teeter's eye already in the preseason, it's possible that they could make a strong push into championship final contention this season.
Another candidate is freshman Carter Stephens, a NCSA junior national qualifier in both the 100 and 200 and a 100 fly All-America. A USA junior nationals qualifier in both fly events, she could be an immediate scorer for Princeton. Watch for Qu as well, especially in the 200.
IM
Kilkuts is the three-time defending Ivy League champion in the 200 IM. Aemisegger has not lost a collegiate 400 IM competition short of the NCAA championship final, and she won the 2009 Ivy League final by more than 13 seconds.
Suffice it to say, Princeton is strong at the top in the IM.
There are plenty of other potential IM contributors on the roster, including Altenburger, who placed third in the 200 last year. Both McAndrew and Shanley were consolation finalists in the 400, while Furgatch and Powers could be among a handful of freshmen competing to earn a spot on the conference finals.
DIVING
Without question, Princeton took the biggest graduation hit in diving, especially with the loss of 2009 All-America Katie Giarra. Along with Shelby Rudd and Peggy Kearns, Princeton was a threat to take major points off both the 1- and 3-meter boards.
Led by veteran diving coach Greg Gunn, Princeton could still have a strong corps on the boards this season. Sophomore Courtney Fieldman had Princeton's top non-senior finish last year with a third-place performance on the 1-meter board, and Teeter called her “as determined a performer as I've ever seen.” Junior Carolyn Littlefield placed fourth in the 3-meter competition, while sophomore Christine Kirkwood had 13th- and 21st-place performances in the two events.
Teeter also pointed to Bryna Tsai as a name to watch down the road. Tsai is a top performer on the platform, which could factor into Princeton's finish at the NCAA Championships.
After winning eight of nine Ivy League titles during the decade, Princeton was caught last season by a talented Harvard squad that doesn't lose much for the upcoming season. Furthermore, the Ivy League Championships will be in Crimson confines during the final weekend of February.
But Teeter has never shied away from a challenge, and she isn't about to start now.
“I know Harvard has a solid team, and I know much of their championship team is back,” said Teeter, who will guide Princeton into the season-opening Big Al Open this weekend. “But I am excited by what I've seen from our team in the preseason. I love the energy and the commitment to detail. It has been very inspiring.”
Fresh off their preseason Florida trip, which GoPrincetonTigers.TV will show highlights from next week, Princeton is ready to continue one of the strongest runs in the proud history of its women's swimming and diving program. While the Tigers placed second in the league last season, they did post two very impressive results.
First of all, Princeton improved its dual meet win streak to 24 with a sweep of the Ivy League season, including a win over both Harvard and Yale during the annual HYP weekend. The Tigers would love nothing more to see that stretch to beyond 30 this season, which includes five league meets at DeNunzio Pool. The HYP weekend will take place Jan. 30 at 5 p.m., while the seniors will race for the final time at home Feb. 5 against Columbia.
The final impressive result last season came at the NCAA Championships, when Princeton placed 18th overall. It was the highest finish for a non-scholarship program and the second-highest finish for a non-BCS program. Although Katie Giarra '09 was part of that effort, months before her graduation, Teeter believes there are a number of potential NCAA qualifiers — and that group is led by her brilliant duo of captains, Alicia Aemisegger and Courtney Kilkuts.
“I don't see how everybody can't be motivated by those two,” Teeter said. “They are not only the two best swimmers on the team, they are the two hardest workers. That is such a biggest advantage for us, because you've got two people who just work so hard. When those two talk, people listen.”
Aemisegger and Kilkuts may be the two most decorated members of the program, but it will take a superior team effort to dethrone Harvard for Princeton's 17th overall Ivy League championship.
FREESTYLE
Leading the sprint free group is junior Megan Waters, the only Princeton woman to ever go below 23 seconds in the 50. She set the Tiger record at 22.83 last year and earned Top-3 finishes in both the 50 and the 100 at the Ivy League Championships. In both cases, she lost only to seniors, so she enters the upcoming season as a favorite in both events.
Sophomore Jillian Altenburger has a year of experience under her belt and was one of Princeton's top freshmen last season. She could be in for an even stronger year after an All-Ivy performance in the 200 last year. She was also a consolation finalist in the 100 and could be a major factor in both individual and relay competitions this year.
Classmate Aislinn Smalling was a finalist in the 200 and placed sixth in the 1650 and 11th in the 500, so she will factor into the mid-distance and distance free events. Juniors Nicole McAndrew and Emily Trautner have both had strong preseasons, and Teeter is hopeful that both will also factor into the free events. Junior Ming Ong and sophomore Lauren Shanley, both of whom were Top 10 in the 1000 and Top 16 in the 1650, are also names to watch in the distance.
And then there is Aemisegger, who is a perfect 9-for-9 in Ivy League Championship finals. She holds the Princeton record in the 500 (4:38.02), the 1000 (9:33.43) and the 1650 (15:50.60), and she is the reigning Ivy League champion in both the 500 and the 1650; she didn't compete in the 1000 last year, although she won that title in both 2007 and 2008. For Teeter, the big challenge during the championship weekend is deciding which three events to send her out; Aemisegger, a 10-time All-America and 2008 Olympic Trials finalist, takes care of the rest when she gets to the starting block.
Freshman Kathy Qu, a multiple gold medalist at the British Columbia Provincial Championships, could be a new impact performer in the free for Princeton this season.
BACK
Waters moved from the sprint free to the 100 back at last year's Ivy League championship meet and placed second overall; she missed the title by .01 of a second, the closest finish during the weekend. Waters and Ong were among the top performers in this stroke for Princeton last season, although Teeter is looking for a better overall performance this season by the time the league weekend comes around.
One potential contributor is freshman Alexa Powers, a seven-time All-America nominee and a 16-time CIF NCS finalist. The three-time USA Swimming Scholastic All-America has already impressed Teeter, and she could be a viable threat in this event if she continues her steady growth.
BREAST
Kilkuts' best event is the 200 IM, but she has been a steady performer and former Ivy League champion in the breast events. As a junior, she finished second in the 100 and third in the 200, and both races were won by Ivy League record-setting times. Kilkuts will look to challenge for another All-Ivy, and hopefully championship, performance in both events.
Teeter is hopeful for a strong second year out of both Kerry Gruendel and Caitlin Baran. Both were exciting recruits heading into last season, but neither reached a championship final in either the 100 or 200. With a year of experience for both of them, Teeter could see them making a big leap this season and contending for bigger team points for the 2010 championships.
Sophomore Hannah Cody also could make a move forward this year. Outside of Kilkuts, she was Princeton's top finisher in the 100 and she made the consolation final in the 200.
Freshman Sarah Furgatch qualified for NCSA junior nationals and was a USA Swimming Short Course Senior National qualifier in both breast events. She will likely be an immediate contributor for the Orange and Black.
FLY
The biggest move forward for Princeton will need to come in the fly, where the Tigers only have one current swimmer who made even the consolation final of this stroke last year. The graduation of Monika Friedman opens the door for the Princeton roster to come in and become the team leader in these events.
McAndrew was a 10th-place finisher last year in the 200, while Trautner placed 20th in the 100. Since those two have caught Teeter's eye already in the preseason, it's possible that they could make a strong push into championship final contention this season.
Another candidate is freshman Carter Stephens, a NCSA junior national qualifier in both the 100 and 200 and a 100 fly All-America. A USA junior nationals qualifier in both fly events, she could be an immediate scorer for Princeton. Watch for Qu as well, especially in the 200.
IM
Kilkuts is the three-time defending Ivy League champion in the 200 IM. Aemisegger has not lost a collegiate 400 IM competition short of the NCAA championship final, and she won the 2009 Ivy League final by more than 13 seconds.
Suffice it to say, Princeton is strong at the top in the IM.
There are plenty of other potential IM contributors on the roster, including Altenburger, who placed third in the 200 last year. Both McAndrew and Shanley were consolation finalists in the 400, while Furgatch and Powers could be among a handful of freshmen competing to earn a spot on the conference finals.
DIVING
Without question, Princeton took the biggest graduation hit in diving, especially with the loss of 2009 All-America Katie Giarra. Along with Shelby Rudd and Peggy Kearns, Princeton was a threat to take major points off both the 1- and 3-meter boards.
Led by veteran diving coach Greg Gunn, Princeton could still have a strong corps on the boards this season. Sophomore Courtney Fieldman had Princeton's top non-senior finish last year with a third-place performance on the 1-meter board, and Teeter called her “as determined a performer as I've ever seen.” Junior Carolyn Littlefield placed fourth in the 3-meter competition, while sophomore Christine Kirkwood had 13th- and 21st-place performances in the two events.
Teeter also pointed to Bryna Tsai as a name to watch down the road. Tsai is a top performer on the platform, which could factor into Princeton's finish at the NCAA Championships.
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