Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
H-Y-P Meet, Day 1
Players Mentioned
Buerger's Double Highlights Solid Opening Session For Men At H-Y-P
February 01, 2015 | Men's Swimming and Diving
Day 1 Results and Day 2 Live Results
Freshman Zach Buerger left a strong impression during his first session of the traditional H-Y-P rivalry. He won both the 200 fly and 200 IM for the Tigers, who currently lead Yale 144-42 but trail Harvard 102-84 with one session remaining.
Ironically, both of Buerger's wins featured 1-2 finishes by the highly ranked Princeton Class of 2018. He won the 200 fly in 1:44.66, the third-fastest time for a Princeton swimmer ever in the event, while classmate Corey Okubo placed second in 1:47.07. Two events later, Buerger ignited an impressive 1-2-3-4 Tiger finish in the 200 IM; his winning time of 1:47.65 barely topped classmate Liam Karas, who finished second in 1:48.69. Sophomore Brett Usinger took third in 1:49.07, while reigning Ivy champion Teo D'Alessandro finished fourth in 1:49.11.
Princeton also got an individual victory from sophomore Sam Smiddy, who won the mile in 15:17.91.
Princeton actually started the session in winning style, as the quartet of Harrison Wagner, Connor Maher, Alex Lewis and Julian Mackrel won the 200 free relay in 1:19.32. Junior Sandy Bole took third in the 200 free, while junior Andrew Helber finished second in the 100 back in 48.31. Junior Byron Sanborn (55.15) and Usinger (55.42) went 3-4 in the 100 breast.
The 50 free featured an exciting showdown between some of the league's top sprinters. Harvard's Paul O'Hara barely edged out Wagner, who finished second in 20.08.
Sophomore Nathan Makarewicz finished fourth in the 3-meter diving event with 298.60 points, and the quartet of Helber, Sanborn, Ben Schafer and Wagner too second in the 400 medley relay in 3:14.68.
The final session starts Super Sunday at noon; you can watch it live on the Ivy League Digital Network.