Princeton’s women’s sports are entering the fall ready to bring titles to the Orange Bubble — but how are the prospects of the men’s teams looking? Last year, the Tigers celebrated conference championships in men’s water polo and men’s cross country, while historically strong programs like football and men’s soccer struggled in the Ivy League. As the fall season begins, the Tigers look set for exciting seasons in football, men’s water polo, men’s soccer, and men’s cross country.
Will 2024 see more trophies go back to Old Nassau? Here’s a look at what the coming months hold for the Orange and Black.
Football
The Tigers start the 2024 season with a new offensive coordinator. Former quarterbacks coach Mark Rosenbaum was given the role after former offensive coordinator Mike Willis ’14 accepted a job at Marist for their head coaching role.
Rosenbaum will look to replace former left tackle Jalen Travis ’24 and quarterback Blake Stenstrom ’24 in this year’s offense. The Tigers currently have five quarterbacks on their roster. However, examining the previous season suggests two Tigers will fight for the starting position: senior Blaine McAllister and junior Blaine Hipa. The Tigers also return senior wide receivers Luke Colella and AJ Barber, who burst into the spotlight last season.
The biggest concern for the Tigers will be on the defensive end, where three key linebackers graduated in May. The Ivy League preseason poll has the Tigers slated at No. 4, receiving one first-place vote from the 16 media members that cover the league.
“You have a blank slate and it’s so much fun seeing the development of the players,” head coach Bob Surace ’90 told The Daily Princetonian.
Read a more detailed and full-length preview of the 2024 football season here.
Men’s Water Polo
One of last year’s most impressive Tiger squads, the men’s water polo team enters the 2024 season ranked fifth in the nation. In a sport traditionally dominated by California squads, the Tigers made the Final Four in the NCAA tournament for the first time in the expanded tournament era. Though they eventually fell to No. 1 ranked UCLA, the Tigers made a splash on the national scene and catapulted themselves into the sport’s elite.
This season’s squad features the return of Roko Pozaric, the first-team All-American who was named as one of three finalists for last year’s Cutino Award, given to the best player in collegiate water polo. Alongside Pozaric are two other All-American award recipients: senior defender Vladan Mitrovic and sophomore goalie Kristof Kovacs.
Princeton’s season will be defined by a crucial trip out west to California, where they will face UCLA, Cal, and USC, three of the top four squads in the nation. This trip, rounded out by bouts against No. 7 University of Pacific and No. 13 Pepperdine University as well as unranked Westcliff University, poses a massive test for the Tigers that should ready them for another postseason run.
“We have two weekends of tough games before we head out to California,” head coach Dustin Litvak told the ‘Prince.’ “As it is every year, we spend most of September figuring out ourselves before we can put much effort into scouting various opponents.”
Men’s Soccer
After sweeping the Ivy League in 2021 and qualifying for the NCAA tournament, the Tigers have had two subpar seasons. This year, the media seems to think the Tigers will be in for another disappointing season, ranking them sixth in the Ivy League preseason poll.
Major losses for the team include outgoing seniors Walker Gillespie ’24, Francis Akomeah ’24, and Whit Gamblin ’24. Akomeah was a leader on and off the field for the Tigers, anchoring the defense and providing stability in the back line for the Tigers.
Important returners for the squad include senior goalie Khamari Hadaway, sophomore midfielder Liam Beckwith, senior forward Nico Nee, junior forward Daniel Ittycheria, and senior defender Issa Mudashiru. This year, the Ivy League schedule is slated to start earlier with the Tigers opening play at Roberts Stadium on September 28th against the Harvard Crimson.
“We gotta be able to build up momentum and confidence within our team in order to get where we want to be in the Ivy League,” Hadaway told the ‘Prince.’
“Our non-conference will prepare us well for the Ivy League season. We’re well versed and prepared to take these opponents on. The main goal right now is to set ourselves up well with our non-conference schedule and play to the best of our ability.”
Ittycheria made 14 starts for the Tigers up top last season, bagging nine goals throughout the season. His stellar performance earned him a first-team All-Ivy nod. Hadaway was the starting goalie for the majority of the season and will be one of the three captains for the upcoming season.
Lastly, Mudashiru was a crucial part of the 2021 team that went undefeated in the Ivy League, earning a second-team All-Ivy in his first year. However, injuries in back-to-back seasons have led to limited time on the field. If he can stay healthy, the Tigers’ chances of climbing back to the top of the Ivy League will rise exponentially.
The Tigers lost their first match of the season on Friday to state rival Rutgers 3–1. Out of the six newly recruited first-year players, only one started the match. First-year defender Dash Papez started in head coach Jim Barlow’s backline while first-year forward Roka Tsunehara subbed in at halftime alongside Ittycheria.
“We’re looking at every non-conference game as an Ivy League Championship,” Hadaway added. “We’re looking to take that mentality into the Ivy League and hopefully into a strong postseason run.”
Men’s Cross Country
The Princeton men’s cross country team begins the 2024 campaign looking for their fourth straight Ivy League title. After narrowly defeating Harvard in the 2023 championship, the Tigers return first-team All-Ivy and All-American runner Nicholas Bendtsen and second-team All-Ivy runner Daniel O’Brien. Each runner is entering his senior year, looking to compensate for losing two more of last year’s All-Ivy finishers.
Last year, the Tigers finished 11th at nationals, with Bendtsen leading the pack in the 10K. In this year’s preseason poll, however, the Tigers sit at 18th in the nation, behind rivals Harvard. Despite the lower ranking, Princeton is still expected to pace the Mid-Atlantic regional ahead of competitor Villanova.
This year, Princeton will play host to not only two of the Tigers’ three regular-season meets but also the Ivy League championship meet. With a formidable squad and consistent home-field advantage, the Tigers hope to maintain their high standards and take home yet another title.
Hayk Yengibaryan is an associate Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’
Joseph Uglialoro is a staff Sports writer for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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