Swimming: Men, women sweep championship meets

The men finished their season with a thrilling battle to the end of the last race of the Ivy League Championship weekend. The Tigers went into the final event, the 400m-freestyle relay, in first place, but they led Harvard by only 7.5 points. A victory for either team would ensure the title.

Luckily for the Tigers, Columbia’s foursome came in first place to take 64 points for the Lions. Harvard’s second place finish and 56 points did not allow the Crimson to catch Princeton, as the Tigers finished third for 54 points. The Tigers’ 1,400 points clinched the title by a mere 5.5 points over Harvard, with Columbia finishing well behind in third. The championship marked the men’s third consecutive title.

“I think this season was defined by the difficulties we faced,” junior Jon Christensen said. “It’s natural to face obstacles in any task, but we managed to work through them and come out stronger. This was evident on the final day of the Ivy League Championships, when we kept fighting in the face of a likely defeat and came out on top by 5.5 points.”

Christensen, junior Colin Cordes, and junior Mike Monovoukas will serve as tri-captains for the Tigers’ 2011-12 season.

“It is both very exciting and an amazing opportunity to be a captain of the team for next year,” Christensen said. “Our incoming freshman class is extremely talented and our team will be the strongest it has been in years. I am certain that that the team will benefit immensely from their presence and that next year will be enjoyable and rewarding both in and out of the pool.”

The men’s team’s illustrious 92-meet win streak at DeNunzio Pool, dating back to the venue’s opening in 1990, was snapped by Navy in February.

The women finished their regular season undefeated in the Ivy League and clinched their second straight championship, their 10th in the past 12 years. The team amassed 1,562 points, finishing 66 ahead of Harvard.

Princeton won 12 of 21 events, including an exciting final race, the 400m-freestyle relay. Senior Megan Waters swam the final leg of the race, starting at a 1.63 second deficit and pulling out a .15 second win over the Crimson. Waters was named Swimmer of the Meet after her three individual and four relay first-place finishes.

As a testament to the strength of the men’s and women’s swimming and diving programs, 17 swimmers earned spots on the Mid-Major All-America teams, including nine women and eight men. The women also had 31 All-Ivy honors, while the men earned 27. Waters secured seven first-team honors, freshman Lisa Boyce earned five first-team and one second-team nomination and freshman Andrea Kropp got four first-team honors.

On the men’s side, Christensen earned five first-team All-Ivy honors and one second-team. Cordes was awarded four first-team and one second-team nomination, while both Monovoukas and sophomore Kaspar Raigla earned three first-team and one second-team honors.

Both the men’s and women’s teams are looking forward to building on their successes of this year in the upcoming season.

“For next year, the team goals are similar to how they are every year, namely, for everyone to be able to improve both individually and as a team,” Christensen said. He attributed the team’s success this season to the coaching staff as well as the closeness of the team.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

Just watching the men’s YouTube video, titled “Get Better Hasler,” which now has over 150,000 views, shows the closeness of the swimming and diving program. Made for freshman Dan Hasler after he was hospitalized for six weeks with a MRSA infection, the video features the men’s team dancing to Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” to cheer up Hasler.

“The team is extremely close, and describing it is more like describing a family,” Christensen explained. “That’s not to say that everyone is the same person, but we can still come together on goals and what needs to be done.”