Princeton University Athletics
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#22 Men's Swimming/Diving Heads To Annapolis For Champions' Duel
January 05, 2012 | Men's Swimming and Diving
Former EISL rivals Princeton and Navy both won their respective league titles last season and have had two memorable meets over the last three seasons. The two undefeated programs will have the rubber match Saturday in Annapolis in Princeton's first meet of 2012.
Princeton is currently ranked 22nd in the CSCAA national poll after going 3-0 to start the 2011-12 season. The three-time reigning Ivy League champion, Princeton also earned a decisive win in the 2011 Big Al Open, held at DeNunzio Pool, site of the 2012 Ivy League championships (March 1-3).
DeNunzio Pool had been an unbeatable home for Princeton for two decades, but Navy became the first program ever to win a dual meet in DeNunzio when it topped the Tigers 167-133 last season. That followed a thrilling 2009 meet, when Princeton's win in the 400 free relay helped the team edge Navy 155.5-144.5 in a wire-to-wire thriller.
"Racing Navy is always fun," said senior tri-captain Mike Monovoukas. "We had some good battles with them in the past. There is no question Navy has a great team this year. They already beat a tough Virginia opponent in the fall, and they are looking set to make a solid appearance at the NCAA championships come March.
"I think this meet does mean a lot to us, despite being an out of league competition," he added. "It gives us an opportunity to travel to Annapolis and race a fast opponent, which is always a beneficial experience. Our goal is to challenge Navy as hard as we possibly can in every race. If we can do that, we'll get some good stripes under our belt that will definitely help us succeed when we travel to Harvard next month."
The race will be Princeton's first in five weeks, dating back to the Big Al Open during the first weekend in December. The Tigers scored 1,377 points to nearly double any other team in the field, and they'd like nothing more than to bring that momentum into the new year.
"Swimming fast in 2012 is what this season is all about," Monovoukas said. "We've had some success thus far, but it doesn't mean much if we don't perform in the meets of 2012. It would be awesome to get the year started the right way on Saturday by racing tough and not shying away from a challenging opponent."
A heavy dose of Princeton's success this season has come from a group that will be looking for its first Ivy League title this March. The Class of 2015 has had a sharp impact so far, including seven individual victories in the Ivy-opening wins over Cornell and Penn in November.
"I absolutely see the freshmen as key contributors during the latter part of the season," Monovoukas said. "They are a very talented and hard-working class, so I'm confident in their ability to step up for the big meets down the road. There are several freshmen who have the potential to be Ivy champions and NCAA qualifiers in the future.
"One thing I will say, however, is that there is a very large intangible aspect to swimming," he added. "To swim fast you have to find a balance between being psyched up and composed. Traveling to a foreign, and even hostile environment like Blodgett Pool can definitely take you out of your element, especially as a freshman who's never been in a position like that before. The key to regaining that balanced mental state is to draw on the experience of the upperclassmen who have been in that position before. We have a tight-knit team with very talented underclassmen and experienced upperclassman leaders. I have no doubts that all classes will be key contributors for the remainder of the season. After all, last year proved that everyone has a role to play to win an Ivy Championship, including teammates cheering in the stands."