Princeton University Athletics
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Ivy Champ Men's Swim/Dive Open Season With Title Experience, Strong Youth
November 12, 2015 | Men's Swimming and Diving
The Tigers will start their 2015-16 season by splitting up this weekend; a handful of swimmers have made the trip to Minneaplois to compete in the Minnesota Pro Series, while the rest of the team will compete at the Penn State Open.
Princeton is excited to get back into competition mode after a strong preseason, where a talented freshman class got the chance to train with a variety of top performers from recent Ivy League championships.
"Preseason training was excellent, and with the first couple of weeks of official training underway I can confidently say we've never looked this good this early in the season," senior tri-captain Byron Sanborn said. "Our new assistant coach Mike Joyce has already made a huge positive impact and we've been able to put up some really solid practices.
"The freshmen class is a great group, and they've been fitting in really well," he added. "In the pool they've been challenging us every day in practice and I'm excited to see what they can do when they get a chance to start racing in the Ivy League."
They'll get their first chance to show their racing abilities this weekend. Until then, here is a stroke-by-stroke preview of this Tigers squad:
FREE
Princeton will definitely feel the loss of Harrison Wagner '15, a former Ivy League champion in both the 50 and 100 free, as well as relay standout Connor Maher '15, but this team still has enough talent to be competitive in both the individual and relay events this season.
Senior Sandy Bole anchored the winning 200 free relay, swam on the winning 400 free relay, took fourth in the 50 and sixth in the 100, while junior Julian Mackrel swam on both relays and took seventh in the 100. Sophomore Ben Schaefer finished seventh in the 50, while classmate Alex Lewis wasn't far off the A finals in either one.
The freshman trio of Cole Buese, Christian Feiler and Matt Harrington all have best times that will make them potential impact performers at the events by the time the Ivy Championships come around.
Bole and Mackrel were also Top-10 finishers in the 200 free, though senior tri-captain Teo D'Alessandro placed second in the event. As you move into the distance events, the duo of junior Samuel Smiddy and senior Zachary Ridout starts to make a big impact. Smiddy took second in the 500 and fourth in the mile, while Ridout earned top-eight finishes in both events, as well as the 1000.
BACK
Both Maher and Michael Strand '15 were consistently strong in the two back events over their careers, so Princeton will need to replace that production in both the individual and relay events.
Senior Andrew Helber was a Top 10 finisher in both the 100 and 200 back, and he will be one of the most experienced performers in the group. Lewis won the B final in the 100 back, while sophomore Corey Okubo took fifth in the 200 back during the final day of the Championships.
BREAST
While Princeton graduated a powerhouse senior duo in the back, it returns one in the breast events. Fellow tri-captains Byron Sanborn and Jack Pohlmann will be key point-producers in these events, as well as crucial performers in relays.
Pohlmann finished third in both the 100 and 200 breast the Ivy Championships last year, while Sanborn, a 2013 NCAA Championships qualifier, was the runner-up in the 100 breast and an A finalist in the 200.
Senior Marco Bove also adds to the upperclassman depth, while freshman Tyler Lin could provide a youthful spark to the stroke. His lifetime best time in the 100 breast would have made the A finals at Ivies last year.
FLY
Princeton was young and strong in the fly last season, and that won't change this year, either. Sophomore Zach Buerger took third in the 100 and sixth in the 200, while Okubo, his classmate, took second in the 200 fly. Schafer also finished just outside the Top 10 in the 100.
And they'll be the veterans, compared to some newcomers who could have a quick impact. Buese, Harrington and Murphy McQuet all have the potential to score for Princeton in these events.
INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY
Princeton will return three seniors who placed in the Top 5 in the 200 IM last year, including defending champion Teo D'Alessandro, who holds the school record with a time of 1:44.94. Bove finished third in the final, while Sanborn took fifth; Sanborn's prelim time of 1:45.51, however, is the second-fastest 200 IM in school history.
Safe to say there is a lot of talent returning in this event, and both Buese and Lin should be able to strengthen the group.
Smiddy swam the 400 IM in last year's Ivy final in 3:45.62, the second-fastest time in Princeton history. The fastest time had been set nearly two seconds earlier by Okubo, who dominated his final in an Ivy League-record time of 3:43.95.
DIVING
Junior Nathan Makarewicz is the Ivy League's top returning performer in the 1-meter event last year, and with the graduation of Harvard's Michael Mosca, the title chase in both the 1- and 3-meter events could be thrilling. Sophomore Liam Fitzgerald and incoming freshmen Aaron Ach and Simon Adriano will be looking to impact the event as well.