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Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Women Begin Ivy Hunt With Blend Of Championship Experience, Exciting Youth
November 05, 2014 | Women's Swimming and Diving
The Princeton women's swimming and diving team makes its way to Columbus, Ohio, this weekend to open its season in a tri-meet with both No. 16 Ohio State and Denison College. Key links for the weekend, as well as a full season preview, can be found below.
| Date/Time/Opponents | Nov. 7 (5 pm) and 8 (9 am); Tri-Meet vs. No. 16 Ohio State/Denison |
| Weekend Links | Live Results l No Live Video |
| Follow On Twitter | @PUCSDT l @PUTigers l @PUTigers_Live |
| Princeton Tigers | Roster l Schedule |
| Ohio State Buckeyes | Roster l Schedule |
| Denison Big Red | Roster l Schedule |
| What's Up Next | Nov. 21: Penn/Cornell at Princeton (3 pm) |
Three weeks before its season was scheduled to open at Ohio State, Princeton celebrated the unprecedented tradition of its programs during the 110th anniversary of Princeton Swimming and Diving.
The Princeton women have won 21 Ivy League championships, including 11 of the last 15. They had an NCAA finalist last year in Lisa Boyce, and they return an NCAA qualifier in junior Nikki Larson, the reigning Ivy League champion in the 100 fly. They also return a significant portion of their conference team, including multiple-time A finalists in Sada Stewart, Beverly Nguyen and Olivia Chan, as well as a deep set of divers.
So was this an offseason of rest for Princeton? Not so much.
Head coach Susan Teeter and assistant coach Suzanne Yee put together an incoming class that was ranked nationally by both SwimSwam.com and collegeswimming.com. That group bolsters an already strong lineup that will try to upset reigning champion Harvard in its own pool when the Ivy Championships come around next February.
But that's months away, and there is plenty to learn before that first preliminary swim at Blodgett Pool.
Princeton will begin its season at the Ohio State Open this weekend, and will compete at home Nov. 21 against Penn/Cornell, as well as Jan. 9 against N.C. State. Here is a look at some of the key swimmers/divers for Princeton as they prepare for their opener in Columbus.
FREE
There is no denying the fact that Princeton will miss Lisa Boyce, a multiple-time Ivy champion in both the 50 and 100 free, as well as an NCAA All-America in the 100 fly last year. However, a significant portion of the Class of 2018 could help fill that loss in impressive fashion.
The freshman duo of Alisabeth Marsteller and Madelyn Veith could be immediate contributors in both sprint events. Both have posted lifetime 50 times that would have challenged for the A final last year, and each has the type of national experience that should help them prepare for the pressure at Ivies.
They join the likes of Elizabeth McDonald and Mallory Remick, both of whom have been consistent factors in the Princeton relays. McDonald helped Princeton win both the 200 and 400 free relays at Ivies last year, while Remick was part of the 400 win. Larson is also a factor in the relays, though her best individual events remain the fly and IM.
Both Claire McIlmail and Emily Jiang will help upgrade Princeton in both the 100 and 200 free events, while both Reese Iriondo and Mary Kate Davis join Rebecca Fleming as Princeton's top distance swimmers.
BACK
Stewart is Princeton's only returning swimmer to reach the A final in both the 100 and 200 back last year, and she will lead a group that should have added depth this season. Stewart has never placed below sixth in an Ivy back final, but she would love to pick up her first individual title this season. She should also remain a factor in the medley relays this season.
Senior Shirley Wang had reached the A final in both back events during the 2012 and 2013 Championships, but she ended 2014 as a double winner in both B finals. Wang will be looking to get back into the championship events this year, and hopefully be joined by classmate Courtney Ciardiello. Sophomore Kathleen Mulligan was an A finalist in the 200 last year (7th, 2:00.14), and she will be looking to get there in the 100 as well.
Freshman Lindsay Temple, from nearby Hillsborough, NJ, is a former USA Junior National qualifier in the back events.
BREAST
Sophomore Olivia Chan was one of the standout members of the Class of 2017, and she showed some of her potential with three Top-10 finishes in her Ivy Championships debut. She placed seventh in the 100 breast at Ivies and enters this season with the program's third-fastest time (1:02.22) ever in the event.
Classmate Melissa Fulenwider also made her Ivy debut last winter, and her best finish was 13th in the 100. Seniors Emily Yu and Sarah Liang could also be factors in this stroke.
FLY
When you lose an All-America in an event, you expect to take a major hit. Amazingly, that just isn't the case here. Despite reaching the NCAA final in the 100 fly, Boyce consistently swam other events during the Ivy League meets. Instead, Larson is the leader of this strong group, and she returns as both the 100 champion (52.73) and the 200 runner-up (1:58.27).
Classmate Morgan Karetnick is also a strong factor in the stroke. She finished second to Larson in the 100, and she added a seventh-place finish in the 200. Nguyen, an IM specialist, competed in the fly during the final day at Ivies and took fourth in the 200.
Freshman Elsa Welshofer could make a strong impact; she is a Winter Junior National finalist in the 100 fly.
INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY
Princeton returns five A finalists in the 200 IM, and that doesn't include Marsteller, who has a 200 time that would make her an immediate championship contender.
So, Princeton is pretty loaded here.
Chan placed second in the 200 IM last year, while Stewart placed fourth. Remick, Larson and Nguyen also reached the 'A' final, and Nguyen added a second-place finish in the 400 IM.
DIVING
The final individual event of the 2014 Ivy League Championships gave Princeton fans a taste of the diving potential for this program. Three members of the Class of 2017 made the 3-meter championship final, a group that included eventual event champion Caitlin Chambers. Now a sophomore, Chambers also placed third in the 1-meter event at her Ivy debut. Classmates Lisa Li and Deborah Daly were also 'A' finalists in the 3-meter final, while fellow sophomore Yasmeen Almog will serve as one of three tri-captains this season.
Princeton also brought in a talented freshman duo in Colleen McHugh and Larkin Papa, both of whom could quickly impact this deep Tiger group.