Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Day Two
Players Mentioned
Women's Swim/Dive Team Holds Slim Edge After Day 2 Of Championship Meet
February 27, 2010 | Women's Swimming and Diving
In some years, the winner of the Ivy League women's swimming and diving championship meet was almost a foregone conclusion heading into the final day. That won't be the case for a wild 2010 championship meet, as three teams are in position to make a run at the title.
With three victories and several strong swims in either the championship or preliminary session, the Princeton Tigers will enter Saturday's final session with a 38-point edge on Harvard in the 2010 championships. Princeton has 982 points, while the host and defending Ivy champion Harvard Crimson follows closely with 944 points.
In most years, that would be the end of the championship talk. But an impressive performance from Yale, which is competing for the final time under longtime coach Frank Keefe, is making a major move and has fully established itself as a contender. The Bulldogs, which also won multiple events Friday, are third with 916 points.
Princeton opened the championship session by placing second in the 200 medley relay. The team of Meredith Monroe, Courtney Kilkuts, Alicia Aemisegger and Megan Waters placed second to Yale in a time of 1:41.79; that time would have been a Blodgett Pool record, but Yale won the event in 1:41.63. Harvard ended up fourth in the rally, giving Princeton a four-point edge in the event.
Harvard went 1-2 in the 1000, with senior Alexandra Clarke winning the event in 9:45.03. Princeton got a third-place finish from sophomore Aislinn Smalling (10:04.04) and a fourth-place finish from junior Ming Ong (10:05.08). Rounding out the championship final was sophomore Lauren Shanley, who placed seventh in 10:12.98.
Aemisegger proved dominant once again in the 400 IM, which she won with an A-cut time of 4:07.19. Harvard picked up second, but junior Nicole McAndrew had a strong third-place swim in 4:25.46.
Yale's Alex Forrester, one of the young standouts in the league, won her second individual event when she claimed the 100 fly in a meet-record time of 53.03. The lone championship finalist for Princeton was Carter Stephens, who placed fourth in 54.84.
One of the big showdowns of Friday night came in the 200 free, and it took place between Princeton's Jillian Altenburger and Harvard's Kate Mills. Altenburger got out with the fastest 50, but Mills cut into her lead on the next two splits. The Tiger sophomore gallantly pushed forward and wouldn't let her Crimson rival touch first; Altenburger won in a B-cut time of 1:48.11 for a major Princeton momentum boost.
Princeton also got a consolation final victory from Kathy Qu, who won her race in 1:51.34.
Princeton entered the 100 breast championship final with two Tigers in the race and no members of the Crimson squad. Kilkuts placed third for the Tigers in 1:03.10, while freshman Sarah Furgatch finished eighth in 1:04.71. Despite not winning the race, Princeton gained 36 team points on Harvard in the event, which signaled the midway point of the championship meet (event 11 of 21).
An incredibly fast 100 back final was up next. Princeton's Monroe broke a meet record with her time of 55.00, but that was good enough for only third. Instead, Cornell's Chiara Spinazzola won the event in an Ivy League record time of 54.53. Princeton also got a fourth-place finish from Waters (55.22) and once again built on its overall lead. Yale, which placed two in the top six, actually moved ahead of Harvard for second at that point.
The three-meter diving finals were up next, and Princeton came in knowing that the Crimson had a 3-2 edge in championship finalists. The Tigers' Carolyn Littlefield had the sixth-best score heading into the finals, but a strong final session landed her in third place with 280.90 points. Freshman Bryan Tsai added to Princeton's effort by placing sixth with 267.90 points.
Princeton closed the night with one of its strongest events, the 800 free relay. The team of Altenburger, Smalling, Monroe and Aemisegger combined for a B-cut time of 7:14.49, which beat the field by nearly three seconds. Princeton had to rally for the win, though, as Harvard's Alexandra Clarke had a strong opening leg in 1:47.90. Altenburger kept Princeton in it, and Monroe started bringing Princeton back. The final 200 was a showdown between Aemisegger and Harvard's Mills.
Mills finished in 1:48.19, a faster time than six other anchor legs. Aemisegger finished four seconds faster than Mills to clinch the win and guarantee Princeton a 38-point edge heading into what promises to be a thrilling final day of the 2009-10 Ivy League women's swimming and diving season.