Following a 1999 campaign in which it went 30-11-1, the women's water polo team (25-6 overall, 8-0 Collegiate Water Polo Association) continued to make its presence felt on the national scene, advancing to the National Collegiate Championship, winning its first-round game against Hawaii and finishing the season at No. 8 in the country.
Led by goaltender Goga Vuk-mirovic '00, two-meter driver Katherine Kixmiller '01 and two-meter Adele McCarthy-Beauvais '03, Princeton outlasted UMass in the Easterns final, 6-4, on April 30. Following that emotional win, the Tigers rallied late for a 13-11 win over the Rainbows at nationals May 5 and saw their remarkable run end only after a loss to No. 1 seed Stanford that same day.
Men's water polo
It was billed as a clash of the titans — and it turned out to be just that. The CWPA Southern Division Championship pitted the tournament's top two seeds against one another, both Princeton and Navy having easily dispatched their early-round opponents. Finally, on Oct. 31, fans got the matchup everyone had been waiting for.
Led by two-meter Kevin Foster '03, the Tigers (22-3, 11-0 CWPA) raced out to a 7-3 lead after three quarters and eventually held off the resurgent Midshipmen for a thrilling 7-6 win. The victory was just one of many bright spots for Princeton, which set a school record for victories and eventually finished third at Easterns.
Women's volleyball
Following a one-year hiatus from the NCAA tournament, the women's volleyball team would not be denied in 1999. After finishing atop the Ivy League during the regular season, Princeton (23-7, 6-1 Ivy League) set out to avenge its only regular-season conference loss. Against Harvard in the Ivy tournament finals Nov. 14, the Tigers rallied late for a dramatic 3-2 victory, propelling them into the NCAAs for the first time since 1997.
Once there, Princeton was dispatched, 3-0, by BYU on Dec. 3. Next season, the Tigers will look to outside Sabrina King '01 to continue the dominant play that earned her Ivy League Player of the Year honors in 1999.
Men's volleyball
It began with hopes of a final four, but ended — shockingly — in a failure to even qualify for postsesaon play. The 2000 men's volleyball season was one that failed to fulfill its promise (7-11, 3-9 Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Tait Division) as the Tigers saw losses continue to mount and their inconsistent play lead to increasing frustration.
A string of four consecutive defeats in March put Princeton in a must-win mode toward the end of the regular season. Although the Tigers salvaged some momentum with a 3-1 win over Rutgers-Newark on Apr. 4, their fate was sealed by a loss to Penn State on April 15 that kept them out of the EIVA playoffs.
Women's tennis
Prior to the 2000 women's tennis season, most of the attention given to Princeton was focused on one player. By the end of the year, however, the Tigers had scored a true triumph of the collective.
When the season began, Kavitha Krishnamurthy '03 had already made her presence felt by rising to No. 13 in the individual national rankings. As she became the first tennis player — male or female — to capture both Ivy League Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors, her teammates followed her lead, cruising to Princeton's first undefeated league campaign since 1980. The Tigers (17-3, 7-0 Ivy) were defeated by Tennessee in the first round of the NCAA tournament May 12.
Men's tennis
Needing wins in its final two Ivy matches for a chance at a conference championship, the men's tennis team was only able to complete half of its mission. The Tigers (17-7, 5-2 Ivy) easily handled Cornell on April 21, but fell to Columbia on April 23.
It would be the final run at Ivy glory made by Princeton under head coach David Benjamin, who retired following the season after 26 years at the helm. Benjamin finishes his coaching career with a record of 362-161.
Sprint football
After beginning its season in thrilling fashion with a 12-7 win over Cornell on Oct. 1, the sprint football team had visions of contention after years of mediocrity. The improving Tigers, however, were dealt a severe blow Oct. 15, when head coach Bob DiPipi collapsed at practice and was forced to leave the team for the rest of the season.
DiPipi's absence was felt immediately as Princeton dropped a 31-0 decision to Army the following day at Pride Bowl XXI in front of 5,335 fans at Newark's Riverfront Stadium. The Tigers (1-5, 0-4 Collegiate Sprint Football League) later lost a rematch against the Big Red and could never regain the form that had led to their opening-night victory.
Wrestling
In a season that featured the dedication of a state-of-the-art new wrestling facility, the Tigers continued to close the gap between themselves and their competition and were encouraged by the emergence of a rising star within the Princeton program.
On Feb. 19 — the same day the public was introduced to the new Class of '58 Wrestling Room — Jeff Bernd '01, competing at 149 pounds, pinned Rutgers' Jon Forster, who was ranked No. 15 in the nation at the time. Princeton actually led the Scarlet Knights early in the match and although the Tigers were eventually defeated, their competitiveness that day has led to high hopes for coming seasons.
Men's golf
For the first time since 1995, the men's golf team captured the Ivy League Championship, riding the sharp play of Nat Hoopes '03 to outdistance Penn by nine strokes April 16. Hoopes also won the individual conference title that weekend, helping lead Princeton to the NCAA West Regional, where the Tigers finished 23rd.
Women's golf
After defeating Yale at the William & Mary Invitational by 16 strokes April 2, the women's golf team appeared well on its way to an Ivy championship. When it came time for the Tigers to seize their place in history April 16, however, the Elis stormed to the title, leaving Princeton to contemplate a third second-place finish in four years at the hands of its arch-rivals.
Yale started the tournament strong and finished with an overall score of 640 — 10 strokes ahead of the Tigers.
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