Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Day One
Players Mentioned
Six Events, Six Wins: Men's Swim/Dive Team Races Out At Big Al Open
December 03, 2011 | Men's Swimming and Diving
With a perfect 6-for-6 night, the Princeton men's swimming and diving opened the 2011 Big Al Open with a dramatic splash. The Tigers have more than doubled up the rest of the field after one session of its annual early-season competition.
Princeton didn't waste time flexing its muscles in the water, going 1-2 in the 200 free relay. Freshman Harrison Wagner led off a senior-laden quartet that included Matthew LaMonaca, Michael Monovoukas and Colin Cordes for a winning time of 1:21.05. The quartet of freshman Connor Maher, sophomore Ian Rea, junior Andres Tung and senior Charlie Wang placed second in 1:23.60.
The 500 free was a tale of two races: one by Princeton sophomore Paul Nolle, and one by the rest of the field. Nolle took the event in 4:24.82, more than seven seconds faster than anybody in the field. Princeton placed two more in the Top 6, including freshman Conner Jager, who took fifth in 4:35.98. Junior Ryan Chiu took sixth in 4:36.14.
Princeton went 1-2 and had six of eight finalists in the 200 IM, with senior and multiple-time Ivy champion Jon Christensen winning in 1:48.40. Sophomore Daniel Hasler finished second in 1:50.49, while freshman Michael Strand took fourth in 1:51.53. Fellow freshman Oliver Bennett took sixth in 1:53.26, while sophomore Eric Materniak (1:53.33) and Connor Maher (1:53.39) rounded out the top eight.
The Tigers had four of the top five in the 50 free, with Wagner leading the way in 19.91. LaMonaca took second in 20.68, while junior Kaspar Raigla finished third in 20.78. Cordes added a fifth-place finish in 21.04.
Like the 200 free relay, Princeton went 1-2 in the 400 medley relay. The quartet of freshman Michael Strand and seniors Christensen, Monovoukas and Cordes won in 3:17.93, while the quartet of Maher, Hasler, Wang and Wagner took second in 3:21.59.
Reigning Ivy League Championships Diver of the Meet Stevie Vines won the 1-meter competition with 310.95 points, while sophomore teammate Mark O'Connell took fifth with 277.45 points. Freshman Michael Manhard took sixth in his Big Al Open debut, finishing with 272.50 points.
Princeton leads with 450 points and has more than doubled up anybody in the field. Columbia is currently second with 196 points, while Brown is third with 178. Saturday's preliminary session will begin at 11 a.m., and the finals will start at 6 p.m. All sessions can be seen live on GoPrincetonTigers.TV.