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Video Feature: Tiger Trio Discusses Upcoming Ivy League Championships
February 18, 2015 | Women's Swimming and Diving
VIDEO FEATURE: Princeton Prepares For The Ivy Championships
KEY LINKS: Live Video l Live Results l Tournament Central l Ivy League Page
Princeton's Ivy League Championship History l @PUCSDT l @PUTigers
Senior Shirley Wang, junior Beverly Nguyen and sophomore Caitlin Chambers recently shared some thoughts with GoPrincetonTigers.TV during their final preparations for the Ivy League Women's Swimming and Diving Championships. You can watch the video here, and read the full preview of the championship meet (Feb. 19-21, Cambridge, Mass.).
With more than three decades and 16 Ivy League championships under her belt, there is little that head coach Susan Teeter hasn't seen on her journey to a league championship meet.
She knows how to train a team to be at its best for the most pressure-packed — and exciting — 72 hours of the season. Eleven of the last 15 years, that training has translated into a trophy.
Teeter feels good about the way this team has trained, but she can also feel good about the way it has handled the pressure. Let's face it, regular seasons don't always provide a single win-or-lose moment for an individual or relay performer.
The Tigers have had two in the last month. And they aced both tests in style.
It started in Blodgett Pool, site of the upcoming Ivy League Championships (Feb. 19-21 • Boston, Mass.), when Princeton competed in its annual H-Y-P meet. Harvard, the reigning Ivy League champion, carried a lead into the 400 free relay, meaning the Tigers needed a win to clinch at least a tie in the event. The quartet of Katie Diller, Nikki Larson, Claire McIlmail and Mallory Remick handled the moment in winning fashion, going 3:23.96 to top Harvard by less than a quarter of a second.
You'd figure that would be enough for the regular season; it wasn't even enough for the week.
Six days later, the Princeton Class of 2015 was seeking its first dual win over Columbia, and it faced the same burden entering the final event. Win the 400 free and take one of the next two spots, win the meet; anything else, Columbia wins the meet and Harvard wins the regular season crown outright.
This time, Remick led off a relay with Elizabeth McDonald, Madelyn Veith and Nikki Larson to win in 3:24,91, while the team of Delaney Johnson, Kathleen Mulligan, Reese Iriondo and Isabel Shipman finished third in 3:32.76. One week after scoring a 150-150 tie at Harvard, Princeton posted a 151-149 victory.
Six days. Princeton 301, Opponents 299.
Yes, this team is ready for the moment.
Princeton understands the monumental task it faces. It has to go back on the road, into the home of the reigning Ivy champion, and take the title away from a squad that has nearly twice as many swimmers among the Top 3 in all events as the Tigers.
This one would be the ultimate team accomplishment for Princeton, though that is exactly the way Teeter would like it.
You will be able to follow all six sessions at Blodgett Pool using the links atop the page, including the live video stream (subscription required) and live results; GoPrincetonTigers.com will have full coverage this week, including a video preview and nightly recaps.
Here is a quick preview of the Ivy Championships:
FREE
The loss of 2014 First-Team All-America honoree Lisa Boyce is a significant one in the sprint free events. Boyce was the reigning Ivy champion in the 50 and a multiple-time champion in the 100 free. That being said, the top swimmers in these events are fairly spread out throughout the league, and Princeton has come up with the goods in the relays when it mattered.
Larson has Top-10 Ivy times in both the 50 and 100, while Diller, Remick, McDonald and Morgan Karetnick could all be contenders to reach the 'A' finals if they compete in those events.
McIlmail is likely to make a big impact in the free events. She ranks first in the 200 (1:47.97), third in the 500 (4:50.11) and fourth in the 100 (50.45). The 200 and 500 aren't particularly deep events for the Tigers, so her performances in both will be invaluable.
One of the top breakout performers for Princeton this season has been sophomore Rebecca Fleming; she was a Top-10 scorer in all distance events last year, but she'll carry the league's best 1000 time (9:58.48) into the championship meet. Senior Reese Iriondo and freshman Mary Kate Davis could also be key scorers in these events; both will be seeded in the Top 8 in the mile.
Last year, Princeton didn't have a single swimmer place in the Top 7 in any of the three distance events, so this could be an area that the Tigers cut into the Harvard edge from last year.
BACK
Harvard is loaded in the back events; the Crimson has the top three performers in the 100 and three of the top four in the 200 this season. Princeton's goal here isn't necessarily to outperform Harvard in these events; the Tigers are just looking to soften the blow.
Senior Shirley Wang has saved some of her best for last; she ranks fifth in the 100 (55.34) and sixth in the 200 (2:00.10). While she can draw on experience, freshman Lindsay Temple can draw on the exuberance of youth; she is just behind Wang in the 200 (2:00.30).
Outside of multiple-time 100 back champion Boyce, Princeton's best performer in the back events recently has been junior Sada Stewart. It has been a challenging season due to injury and illness for Stewart, who doesn't rank in the Top 10 in either event right now. However, she has proven the ability to rise to the occasion, and she could be a wild card here.
BREAST
Sophomore Olivia Chan was Princeton's top finisher in both the 100 and 200 breast last year, but this was another area where the Tigers gave up big points. They currently don't have anybody in the Top 10 in either event, though they feel their best is still to come.
Another Tiger to watch is Melissa Fulenwider, who reached the 'B' final in both events last year.
FLY
While there are some moments when Princeton will be looking to limit the damage, there will be others when they try to inflict it. Returning 100 fly Ivy champ Larson leads a deep, talented Princeton corps that could make up huge points in this stroke. Larson qualified for NCAAs last year and is looking for a return trip in 2015, but her more immediate goal is to stand atop another Ivy podium.
While Larson will be the Princeton swimmer everybody watches for, it is freshman teammate Elsa Welshofer that will actually enter the Championships with better seeds in both events. Welshofer ranks second in the Ivies in the 100 (53.53) and sixth in the 200 (2:00.69). McIlmail also figures to be a strong competitor in these events. Veterans McDonald and Karetnick also have Top-10 times in both events and could help give either or both a distinctly Orange and Black feel.
INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY
Fans will get an early idea of how improved Princeton is for the Ivy Championships. The Tigers currently have one swimmer in the Ivy Top 10 in the 200 IM, but they return five 'A' finalists from the 2014 Championships. If the Tigers make another deep run in the event, it's a positive sign that there could be some big time drops in store for the weekend.
Junior Beverly Nguyen is currently Princeton's top performer in both the 200 (third, 2:02.38) and the 400 (third, 4:19.94), and she is the reigning 400 IM runner-up at Ivies.
DIVING
Sophomore Caitlin Chambers made a big splash during her Ivy Championships debut, when she won the 3-meter event during the final session. She hasn't lost to an Ivy diver since that meet, as she was unbeaten against league competition throughout the 2014-15 regular season. While she will be a prime contender for Ivy Championships Diver of the Meet honors, classmates Lisa Li and Deborah Daly will also be looking to score big points during the meet.