Each week, Sports and Data editors analyze recent athletic competitions to provide analysis and insight on the happenings of Princeton athletics and individual players across the 38 intercollegiate teams at Princeton. Whether they are record-breaking or day-to-day, statistics deliver information in concise ways and help inform fans who might have missed the action. Read past By the Numbers coverage here.
Princeton Tigers: April 18–April 26
Thirty-three games and matches were played across 15 sports and seven U.S. states over the past week. Of the 16 games where only one team came out on top, the Tigers won 81.25 percent of matches and 80 percent of games within the Ivy League, marking the highest win percentage week-over-week this semester, but not the highest in conference play. Multiple-day meets and tournaments are counted individually for each day of the competition. Competitions with more than one event or individual results such as golf and track and field are not included in our win percentage analysis.
Fantasizing over Fantinelli
Sophomore Riccardo Fantinelli, after dominating Ivy League golf in his first two seasons as a Tiger, won Ivy League Player of the Year this Wednesday, the first ever Tiger to accomplish such a feat in the 15-year history of the award. Fantinelli shot an average score of 70.9 over 21 rounds, finishing with a win at the Princeton Invitational and three top-ten placements.
Enchanting Eighteen
No. 39 women’s tennis showed why Ivy League women's tennis runs through Route 1 as they overcame Harvard 4–3 to claim their fifth straight Ivy League championship. The Tigers won the doubles point, winning two of three doubles matches.
“I think we all went into the match knowing that Harvard’s a tough team, and they’ve had a really great season coming in,” first-year Madeleine Jessup said in an interview with The Daily Princetonian. “Winning the doubles point definitely gave us some confidence, but I think we never doubted with or without the doubles point that we would win.”
The Tigers then battled their way to three singles victories, all in deciding third sets, with first-year Alice Ferlito finally clinching the trophy in the final match. Madeleine Jessup defeated Harvard’s Maxi Duncan 2–6, 6–2, 6–1.
“The first, it was close — I think I was losing some big points,” Jessup said. “I was playing a little bit more tentative, a bit defensive, obviously a little bit nervous, and I think, after the first set, even late in the first set, I knew what I needed to do to hurt this girl’s weaknesses. And I think once I did that, my coach sat down next to me like, ‘You know what to do.’ And I did, and once I really dialed in, locked in, things went my way.”
Four Fresh Princes of Springdale
First-year golfer Charlie Palmer, hailing from Paradise Valley in Arizona, was recently named the Ivy League Rookie of the Year, becoming the fourth straight Tiger to win the award. He joins sophomore Riccardo Fantinelli, junior Will Huang, and Max Ting ’23 in the list of consecutive fantastic first-years from men’s golf.
Eighty-yard Expedition
In No. 13 men’s lacrosse’s 15–10 victory over the now No. 17 Penn Quakers, senior goalie Michael Gianforcaro zigged and zagged throughout the Quaker defense all the way to the opposing net before executing a brilliant backhand shove shot to give the Tigers a 14–10 lead with less than four minutes remaining. The veteran shot-stopper also recorded 15 saves in a win that is pivotal for the team’s postseason hopes.
Loco Roko
Junior utility Roko Pozaric, a native of Zagreb, Croatia, was named on Monday as a top-three finalist for the Peter J. Cutino Award, the honor bestowed upon the most outstanding player in NCAA Water Polo. Pozaric scored 76 goals, fourth-most in Tiger history, on the way to his best season yet at Princeton.
First-rate FOGO
Sophomore face-off specialist, also known as FOGO (face-off get off), Andrew McMeekin currently leads the nation in most goals at his position with seven after scoring two in men's lacrosse’s 15–10 win over Penn. The FOGO’s primary purpose is simply to win face-offs and then sub out for an offensive midfielder. McMeekin has added a new dimension to the offense this season.
Dominant District Duo
First-year attackers Nate Kabiri and Colin Burns, who both played high school lacrosse for Georgetown Prep, both reached 20 goals on the season, joining Jesse Hubbard ’98 and Chris Massey ’98 as the only two first-year pairs to reach such a mark. The two newcomers help anchor the Tigers attack with junior star attacker Coulter Mackesy.
Faulkner Fandom
Princeton baseball won two of three games in a weekend series against Penn on April 20th and 21st. In game one, junior pitcher Jacob Faulkner struck out three batters in three innings, and in game three, struck out five hitters in six innings. Faulkner was selected as Ivy League pitcher of the week.
All in all, it was a successful week for Tiger athletics, especially overall. As classes wrap up, spring sports finish conference play. Check back next week to stay updated on all things Princeton athletics — by the numbers.
Harrison Blank is an assistant Sports editor at the ‘Prince.’
Andrew Bosworth is head Data editor and Sports contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send all corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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