2024 Ivy League Women’s Championships: Day 2 Prelims Live Recap

2024 Ivy League Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships

• Wednesday, February 21 – Saturday, February 24, 2024
• Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center, Providence, RI
• Defending Champions:
  • Women: Princeton (1x)
• Championship Central
• Fan Guide
• Pre-scratch Psych Sheet
• Live Results
• Live Video
• Day 1 Finals Live Recap

Thursday Prelims Heat Sheet

Wednesday night’s relays produced a new Ivy League record, signaling we are in for a very fast meet this year. Princeton won both of those aforementioned relay events, and currently leads the team standings with 128 points. Harvard and Brown sit equal 2nd, both with 106 points going into the first day of individual action.

Today’s session will be rather quick, with heats of only the 500 free, 200 IM, and 50 free. Tonight, we will see finals of those three events in addition to the 200 freestyle relay and 1-meter diving.

The top seed in the 500 freestyle is Penn’s Anna Kalandadze, who clears the field by over four seconds on the entry sheet. She is entered with a time of 4:40.49, and claimed victory in the event last year with a personal best time (4:38.86). Princeton’s Ellie Marquardt (4:44.90) and Harvard’s Alexandra Bastone (4:45.80) are the 2nd and 3rd seeds, respectively.

Eleanor Sun (1:56.26) of Princeton leads the way into the 200 IM heats, but teammate Dakota Tucker (1:56.79) is not seeded far behind. They are the only two swimmers entered under the 2-minute barrier, so assuming they both make the final, could be looking for a potential 1-2 Princeton punch tonight.

Eight swimmers are entered under 23-seconds in the 50 free, led by a pair of Princeton athletes. Sabrina Johnston (22.30) and Ela Noble (22.35) are ranked just 0.05 apart, with both swimmers on Princeton’s record-breaking 200 medley relay last night.

WOMEN’S 500 FREESTYLE — PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 4:24.06, Katie Ledecky, Stanford (2017)
• Ivy League Record: 4:33.24 — Lia Thomas, Penn (2021)
• Ivy Championships Record: 4:36.37 — Ellie Marquardt, Princeton (2020)
• 2024 NCAA ‘A’ Standard: 4:37.89
• 2023 NCAA Invited Time: 4:41.09

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Anna Kalandadze (PENN) – 4:40.84
2. Anna Moehn (PENN) – 4:45.11
3. Caroline Riggs (YALE) – 4:45.43
4. Ellie Marquardt (PRIN) – 4:45.78
5. Alexandra Bastone (HARV) – 4:46.68
6. Lilly Derivaux (YALE) – 4:47.69
7. Aziza Ganihanova (COL) – 4:47.78
8. Sydney Bergstrom (PENN) – 4:49.27

Defending champion Anna Kalandadze touched the wall in 4:40.84 this morning, claiming the top spot for tonight’s final. She finished just 0.35 off her season best, and looks to be able to challenge her 4:38.86 winning time (and lifetime best) from last year. Her teammate, sophomore Anna Moehn, had a great swim to place 2nd in the heat, and ultimately rank 2nd overall heading into the final. Moehn touched in 4:45.11, taking down her best time of 4:45.48 from this meet a year ago.

The penultimate heat saw a great swim from Yale freshman Caroline Riggs. She clocked 4:45.43 to win the heat over Princeton’s Ellie Marquardt, cutting 1.79 seconds off her entry time in the process. Her time also checks-in as a new lifetime best, with her entry time representing her previous standard. Marquardt touched in 4:45.78 for 2nd in the heat, and has been as quick as 4:36.37 in the event back in 2020.

Harvard’s Alexandra Bastone (4:46.68), Yale’s Lilly Derivaux (4:47.69), and Columbia’s Aziza Ganihanova (4:47.78) will also line-up for tonight’s championship final, as they qualified 5th, 6th, and 7th.

Penn added a third swimmer in tonight’s ‘A’-final via Sydney Bergstrom‘s 2nd place finish in heat three. She touched in 4:49.27 to qualify 8th. She was 9th in last year’s final, and was seeded 9th coming into this year’s meet, but did go 1-2 with Kalandadze in last year’s 1650 free timed final.

4:52.66 was the time required to make the ‘B’ final, with Princeton and Brown each qualifying two athletes there.

WOMEN’S 200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY — PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 1:48.37, Kate Douglass, Virginia (2023)
• Ivy League Record: 1:54.72, Katie Meili, Columbia (2013)
• Ivy Championships Record: 1:55.09, Katie Meili, Columbia (2013)
• 2024 NCAA ‘A’ Standard: 1:53.66
• 2023 NCAA Invited Time: 1:56.90

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Dakota Tucker (PRIN) – 1:57.15
2. Margaux McDonald (PRIN) – 1:59.18
3. Eliza Brown (PRIN) – 1:59.39
4. Jessey Li (YALE) – 1:59.56
5. Stephanie Iannaccone (HARV) – 1:59.61
6. Eleanor Sun (PRIN) – 1:59.68
7. Ava Franks (YALE) – 1:59.81
8. Liza Whitmire (PRIN) – 2:00.52

Princeton put on an IM clinic in today’s prelim session, qualifying FIVE of the eight 200 IM championship finalists. It was a very fast field overall this morning, as it almost required a sub-2:00 effort to make the ‘A’ final after only two entrants were originally seeded under that elusive barrier.

Freshman Dakota Tucker led the way for Princeton, clocking 1:57.15 for the top seed heading into tonight. She was ranked 2nd coming into the meet with her 1:56.79 marker from earlier in the season. Senior Margaux McDonald chopped 0.97 off her entry time to advance in 2nd place, as she hit the wall in 1:59.18 to win heat four. Eliza Brown made it a 1-2-3 punch, qualifying 3rd overall in 1:59.39.

Top seed Eleanor Sun (1:59.68) and Liza Whitmire (2:00.52) qualified 6th and 8th for Princeton, respectively.

Jessey Li of Yale stopped the clock in 1:59.56 to take 2nd in the fifth heat, which ranks her 4th overall. She showcased a strong breaststroke leg, clocking 33.59 on that split. Her teammate Ava Franks will also feature in the final later today, qualifying 7th overall in 1:59.81.

Stephanie Iannaccone from Harvard was the lone qualifier outside of Princeton and Yale, ranking 5th overall (1:59.61).

WOMEN’s 50 FREESTYLE — PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 20.57, Gretchen Walsh, Virginia (2024)
• Ivy League Record: 21.73, Bella Hindley, Yale (2019)
• Ivy Championships Record: 21.73, Bella Hindley, Yale (2019)
• 2024 NCAA ‘A’ Standard: 21.63
• 2023 NCAA Invited Time: 22.15

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Sabrina Johnston (PRIN) – 22.28
2. Ela Noble (PRIN) – 22.37
3. Morgan Lukinac (BROWN) – 22.53
4. Samantha Scott (BROWN) – 22.63
5. Anya Mostek (HARV) – 22.69
6. Priscilla Wongso (CORN) – 22.70
7. Heidi Smithwick (PRIN) – 22.83
8. Blythe Wieclawek (HARV) – 22.84

The Princeton sprint duo of Sabrina Johnston and Ela Noble held their top seeds in the 50 freestyle. They went 1-2 this morning, posting times of 22.28 (Johnston) and 22.37 (Noble). Both Johnston and Noble featured on Princeton’s record-breaking 200 medley relay from last night. Teammate Heidi Smithwick also advanced, finishing 7th this morning in 22.83.

Brown posted the 3rd and 4th fastest times of the morning, with Morgan Lukinac finishing in 22.53 and Samantha Scott hitting the touchpad in 22.63.

Harvard’s Anya Mostek (22.69) and Blythe Wieclawek (22.84) touched 5th and 8th this morning, earning two spots for the Crimson Tide in the championship final. Cornell’s Priscilla Wongso (22.70) qualified 6th.

If you broke 23-seconds, you advanced to the ‘A’ final. The cut-off time was 22.84, with 23.06 sitting 9th overall. It took a time of 23.37 to earn a swim in the ‘B’ final.

WOMEN’S 1-METER DIVING – PRELIMS

• Ivy League Record: 314.20 – Mikaela Thompson, Harvard (2016)
• Ivy Championships Record: 314.20 – Mikaela Thompson, Harvard (2016)

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Remi Edvalson (HARV) – 283.70 points
2. Nina Janmyr (HARV) – 282.95 points
3. Lily Horenkamp (YALE) – 271.40 points
4. Genevieve Thibodeau (YALE) – 257.15 points
5. Amy Wotovich (HARV) – 257.00 points
6. Isabella George (BROWN) – 250.50 points
7. Francesca Noviello (PRIN) – 247.50 points
8. Gloria Lai (YALE) – 246.20 points

Harvard put three divers in the top 8 during prelims, with Remi Edvalson (283.70 points) leading the charge ahead of Nina Janmyr (282.95 points) and Amy Wotovich (257.00 points). Yale also advanced three divers, while Brown and Princeton each qualified one.