Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
BRS/FR
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
SP/MF
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
BRS/IM
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
BRS/IM
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
BACK
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
BK/FRE
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
DIV
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
MD
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
IM/FRE
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
FREE
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
FLY/IM/FRE
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
IM/FRE
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
DIV
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
BRS/IM
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
BK/FLY/IM
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
FLY/FRE
/ Men's Swimming and DivingIM/FRE
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
FREE
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
DIV
/ Men's Swimming and Diving
Men's Swimming/Diving Hopes Experience, Deep Talent Lead To Another Title
November 12, 2009 | Men's Swimming and Diving
There was some serious editing to do on the Princeton men's swimming and diving record board after the Tigers' rousing success at the 2009 Ivy League Championships. While some key members of Princeton's 20th championship have graduated, there are still plenty of experienced competitors ready to compete for a second straight crown.
Led by tri-captains Dan Dickerson, Jon Hartmann and Christopher Quemana, Princeton looks deep and strong. While Harvard will always pose a strong threat and programs like Cornell and Yale continue to push forward, the Tigers believe they have the kind of talent and championship experience necessary to defend the crown when the league meets at DeNunzio Pool during the first weekend of March for the Ivy League Championship.
FREE
In the sprint free events, sophomore Michael Monovoukas should be a leading contender for All-Ivy contention. He placed eighth in the 50 free last year, but six of the seven who beat him were seniors. He also placed seventh in the 100, with four of the six in front of him being seniors, so there is plenty of room for upward growth this season. While being an important individual contributor to the team, Monovoukas could be a bigger performer in the free relays after the graduations of Doug Lennox and Michael Carter.
One of the swimmers who topped Monovoukas in the 100 final last year was Hartmann, who was the top non-senior finisher in that event. Hartmann placed second in the 200 free, also behind a senior, and was the anchor leg for all three free relay teams. While Princeton will rely on his leadership out of the water, the team will certainly need another strong season out of Hartmann.
Sophomore Colin Cordes is also likely to be counted on in both individual and relay situations. He placed fourth in the 200 and reached the consolation final in the 50, and he was a member of two record-setting relays. Senior A.J. Kennedy was a championship finalist in the 200 and is another to watch in the sprint and mid-distance events.
Freshmen Andres Tung and Will Lawley are new names to look for in the free events. Tung specializes in the 50 and 100 and held 13 age group/junior/national records in Hong Kong, while Lawley earned eight NISCA All-America honors while at St. Xavier in Cincinnati. Sophomore Bryan Tay could also be an impact performer in the free events, as well as the IM, and Brian Barrett could impact the sprint free.
In the mid- to distance events, Princeton appears well set up for the upcoming season. Sophomore Travis McNamara won the 500 last year in Princeton record time, while Patrick Biggs placed fourth. Between them were a pair of seniors, and those two were also top-five finishers in the 1000. McNamara holds the Princeton record in both the 500 (4:18.04) and the 1000 (9:01.91), while Biggs owns the program record in the 1650 (15:01.99), an event he placed second in at the 2009 championship meet.
Colin Hanna, who set Princeton records in the 200 back and 400 IM, also earned a Top-10 finish in the 500.
FLY
Princeton's biggest graduation loss will come in the fly, where three finalists in the 100 and two in the 200 will not be on the roster this season. The biggest loss will be Lennox, who won both events and went on to All-America honors the year after he competed for Puerto Rico in the Olympic games.
Princeton had one consolation finalist in each event last season. Monovoukos placed 12th in the 100, while sophomore Charlie Wang took 12th in the 200 and 17th in the 100. Freshman Kaspar Rigali could make an immediate impact here; he was a member of the Estonia national swim team and specializes in both the fly and back events.
BREAST
Sophomore Jon Christensen had a pair of tight duals with fellow sophomore Brendan McHugh (Penn) in the 100 and 200 breast finals at last year's championship meet. Christensen fell in the 100 by less than half a second, but he came back the second night to win the 200 in a Princeton and meet record time of 1:56.42.
The losses of Will Schaffer and Easton Chen will impact the breast corps, although tri-captain Quemana could be a bigger contributor there this season. Freshman Kila Pickering, a Hawaii state champion and Junior National Qualifier, could also be an early scorer for the Tigers.
BACK
Wang was Princeton's lone finalist in the 100 back, taking fifth overall, while Kennedy was a championship finalist in the 200 and a consolation finalist in the 100. Princeton was deeper in the 200 last season, with three returning finalists (Kennedy, third; Hanna, fourth; Cordes, eighth).
Robert Coe was also a highly touted recruit in the back, while Rigali could jump into championship final contention immediately.
IM
Over several of Princeton's championship seasons this decade, the Tigers have excelled in the 200 and 400 IM. That could be the case once again, as several championship finishers return for another season.
Hartmann, Quemana and Christensen were all Top-6 finishers in the 200 IM, with Hartmann placing second overall to Princeton graduate Will Schaffer. Hanna won the 400 IM in 3:47.86, a Princeton record and more than two seconds faster than any returning swimmer in the league.
Quemana placed fifth in the 200 and eighth in the 400; in the latter, he ranked fourth among returning swimmers.
DIVING
Dickerson was a bit of an unknown before a brilliant performance during Ivy League Championship weekend, when he swept both the 1- and 3-meter boards to earn Diver of the Meet honors. The added confidence and experience from that meet should serve the senior well moving into the upcoming season.
He joins classmate Michael Papageorge, who missed the second half of last season with an injury. Papageorge has placed as high as second in Ivy League Championship finals in the past, and he would like nothing more than to compete with Dickerson for top honors this season.
Sophomore Tom Wells gained positive experience from the championship meet and could find himself in the league finals this year with steady improvement.
Led by tri-captains Dan Dickerson, Jon Hartmann and Christopher Quemana, Princeton looks deep and strong. While Harvard will always pose a strong threat and programs like Cornell and Yale continue to push forward, the Tigers believe they have the kind of talent and championship experience necessary to defend the crown when the league meets at DeNunzio Pool during the first weekend of March for the Ivy League Championship.
FREE
In the sprint free events, sophomore Michael Monovoukas should be a leading contender for All-Ivy contention. He placed eighth in the 50 free last year, but six of the seven who beat him were seniors. He also placed seventh in the 100, with four of the six in front of him being seniors, so there is plenty of room for upward growth this season. While being an important individual contributor to the team, Monovoukas could be a bigger performer in the free relays after the graduations of Doug Lennox and Michael Carter.
One of the swimmers who topped Monovoukas in the 100 final last year was Hartmann, who was the top non-senior finisher in that event. Hartmann placed second in the 200 free, also behind a senior, and was the anchor leg for all three free relay teams. While Princeton will rely on his leadership out of the water, the team will certainly need another strong season out of Hartmann.
Sophomore Colin Cordes is also likely to be counted on in both individual and relay situations. He placed fourth in the 200 and reached the consolation final in the 50, and he was a member of two record-setting relays. Senior A.J. Kennedy was a championship finalist in the 200 and is another to watch in the sprint and mid-distance events.
Freshmen Andres Tung and Will Lawley are new names to look for in the free events. Tung specializes in the 50 and 100 and held 13 age group/junior/national records in Hong Kong, while Lawley earned eight NISCA All-America honors while at St. Xavier in Cincinnati. Sophomore Bryan Tay could also be an impact performer in the free events, as well as the IM, and Brian Barrett could impact the sprint free.
In the mid- to distance events, Princeton appears well set up for the upcoming season. Sophomore Travis McNamara won the 500 last year in Princeton record time, while Patrick Biggs placed fourth. Between them were a pair of seniors, and those two were also top-five finishers in the 1000. McNamara holds the Princeton record in both the 500 (4:18.04) and the 1000 (9:01.91), while Biggs owns the program record in the 1650 (15:01.99), an event he placed second in at the 2009 championship meet.
Colin Hanna, who set Princeton records in the 200 back and 400 IM, also earned a Top-10 finish in the 500.
FLY
Princeton's biggest graduation loss will come in the fly, where three finalists in the 100 and two in the 200 will not be on the roster this season. The biggest loss will be Lennox, who won both events and went on to All-America honors the year after he competed for Puerto Rico in the Olympic games.
Princeton had one consolation finalist in each event last season. Monovoukos placed 12th in the 100, while sophomore Charlie Wang took 12th in the 200 and 17th in the 100. Freshman Kaspar Rigali could make an immediate impact here; he was a member of the Estonia national swim team and specializes in both the fly and back events.
BREAST
Sophomore Jon Christensen had a pair of tight duals with fellow sophomore Brendan McHugh (Penn) in the 100 and 200 breast finals at last year's championship meet. Christensen fell in the 100 by less than half a second, but he came back the second night to win the 200 in a Princeton and meet record time of 1:56.42.
The losses of Will Schaffer and Easton Chen will impact the breast corps, although tri-captain Quemana could be a bigger contributor there this season. Freshman Kila Pickering, a Hawaii state champion and Junior National Qualifier, could also be an early scorer for the Tigers.
BACK
Wang was Princeton's lone finalist in the 100 back, taking fifth overall, while Kennedy was a championship finalist in the 200 and a consolation finalist in the 100. Princeton was deeper in the 200 last season, with three returning finalists (Kennedy, third; Hanna, fourth; Cordes, eighth).
Robert Coe was also a highly touted recruit in the back, while Rigali could jump into championship final contention immediately.
IM
Over several of Princeton's championship seasons this decade, the Tigers have excelled in the 200 and 400 IM. That could be the case once again, as several championship finishers return for another season.
Hartmann, Quemana and Christensen were all Top-6 finishers in the 200 IM, with Hartmann placing second overall to Princeton graduate Will Schaffer. Hanna won the 400 IM in 3:47.86, a Princeton record and more than two seconds faster than any returning swimmer in the league.
Quemana placed fifth in the 200 and eighth in the 400; in the latter, he ranked fourth among returning swimmers.
DIVING
Dickerson was a bit of an unknown before a brilliant performance during Ivy League Championship weekend, when he swept both the 1- and 3-meter boards to earn Diver of the Meet honors. The added confidence and experience from that meet should serve the senior well moving into the upcoming season.
He joins classmate Michael Papageorge, who missed the second half of last season with an injury. Papageorge has placed as high as second in Ivy League Championship finals in the past, and he would like nothing more than to compete with Dickerson for top honors this season.
Sophomore Tom Wells gained positive experience from the championship meet and could find himself in the league finals this year with steady improvement.
Tuesday, June 04
Thursday, August 24
Wednesday, June 22
Monday, June 06