This past weekend at DeNunzio Pool, the Princeton men’s and women’s swim and dive teams both placed first out of the six teams that competed at the Big AI Invitational, earning 1,178.50 points and 1,080.50 points, respectively. The Tigers performed incredibly well, with many NCAA cuts and top finishes.
“We were excited to come out on top at Big AI. That wasn’t the primary objective, but anytime you can beat a Power 5 conference opponent like Utah, it’s a nice achievement that’s worth celebrating,” head coach Matt Crispino told The Daily Princetonian.
On the men’s side, Princeton started off strong in the 1650 meter freestyle, with junior John Ehling finishing first with a time of 15:08.17 followed by senior Dylan Porges in second with a time of 15:09.37. Both were NCAA “B” cut times.
Sophomores Tyler Hong and Brett Feyerick also made NCAA “B” cut times in the 200 backstroke, with times of 1:43.54 and 1:44.16.
“Getting the NCAA B times was motivating, because it shows how all the hard work we’ve done is paying off,” Hong told the ‘Prince.’ “We still have much more to go so it’s exciting to see where I am and the team is.”
“Earning NCAA B times is a substantial accomplishment,” Feyerick wrote. “It is a strong testament to the quality of work we have put in thus far. Clinching NCAA B cuts is a great motivator to chase loftier goals.”
In the 100 meter freestyle, first-year Lucas Tudoras touched the wall with an NCAA “B” cut time of 43.44, with senior Max Walther following him at 43.98.
Senior Raunak Khosla performed exceptionally well in the 200 meter butterfly, earning a first place finish with an NCAA “B” cut time of 1:43.42. Following him was junior Nicholas Lim, who placed second in the event, also with an NCAA “B” cut time of 1:44.98.
In platform diving, sophomore Joe Victor earned a second place finish with an NCAA Zone cut score of 384.90, while sophomore Taso Callanan finished sixth with a score of 282.20.
“Going forward, I’m very eager to see what this team can do. Though we all swam fast and crushed it this past weekend, we all know that there’s still a lot more gas in the tank and we’ll be ready for the championship season,” Hong said.
After their loss against Penn and Cornell, the women’s swimming and diving team bounced back with an amazing victory at this weekend’s meet.
In the 200 meter backstroke, sophomore Isabella Korbly earned a third place finish, touching the wall with an NCAA “B” cut time of 1:56.69.
Senior Amelia Liu finished second in the 100 meter freestyle, with a time of 50.48, and first-year Heidi Smithwick followed her to finish fourth with 50.62. Smithwick also clocked in a time of 2:01.60 in the 200 meter fly, finishing third in the event.
In the 200 meter breaststroke, first-year Eliza Brown finished in fourth place, with a time of 2:13.90.
The Tigers ended the night on a strong note, with a win in the 400 meter freestyle relay. Sophomore Ela Noble and first-years Sabrina Johnston, Heidi Smithwick, and Caroline Lewitt finished first with a time of 3:20.83.
In platform diving, sophomores Julia Fidanza and Maddie Seltzer made NCAA Zone cuts. Fidanza placed second with a score of 256.95, and Seltzer finished in fifth with a score of 229.05.
Dana Serea is a contributor to the Sports section at the ‘Prince.’ Please direct any corrections requests to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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