Columbia Swimming/Diving Head Coach Diana Caskey (courtesy of Tim Binning)
Coach Diana Caskey’s Lady Lions are off to a strong start to their Ivy League season with two wins in their home pool. After a program-first victory over Harvard last weekend (see our story here) they defeated Yale on Friday at Uris Pool in New York.
One-meter diving was the first scored event; Yale freshman Lilybet MacRae scored 319.73 points to win, setting a pool record in the process. Columbia’s Alyssa Menz and Katie Furr were second and third.
The all-freshmen medley relay team of Gabrielle Toback, Jennifer Shahar, Trudiann Patrick, and Tiffany Warmuth gave Columbia its first win of the day in 1:42.31.
Yale sophomore Eva Fabian won the first of her two distance free victories with a 9:55.31 in the 1000. A pair of Lion sophomores followed: Mallory McKeon and Daniela Rueda.
In the 200 free it was Columbia’s Warmuth (1:50.44) who touched first; Yale freshman Kina Zhou was second, and Columbia junior Sydney Drill’s last 50 propelled her past Yale freshman Anna Wujciak for third.
Columbia Lions took the top four spots in the 100 back, racking up big points in the process. Toback’s first place finish of 54.52 reset the Uris Pool record, which had just been broken by Harvard’s Danielle Lee a week earlier. In second and third were seniors Alena Kluge and Grace Senko.
The top four finishers in the 100 breast were also Lions, with top honors going to Shahar (1:02.52). Celia Frick (freshman) and Mikaila Gaffey (junior) were second and third.
The Eli freshmen Isla Hutchinson-Maddox (2:00.72) and Sydney Hirschi went first and third in the 200 fly; Columbia sophomore Kristine Ng was second.
Columbia’s Christina Ray was first to the wall in the 50 free in 23.85. Bulldog Zhou was second, followed by a string of Lions.
Yale’s MacRae set her second pool record of the day scoring 316.2 points in three-meter diving. Columbia junior Menz was again second, but this time Eli divers Olivia Grinker and Kelly Sherman scored next.
Yale’s Zhou avenged her second-place finish in the 50 free by winning the 100 in 52.13. Columbia’s Lilly Morris and Frick were .40 and .32 ahead of Zhou at the 50 but she had the strongest finish and the Lions had to settle for second and third.
Columbia swimmers had 1-2-3 sweeps of the next two events: 200 back and 200 breast. In the back Toback (1:59.96) picked up her second individual win; teammates Rueda and Senko followed. Senior Kluge was the first Lion to the wall in the breast in 2:20.09. Ng and Frick were second and third.
Fabian of Yale won her second title of the contest in the 500 free. Her 4:54.24 put her in front of Columbia freestylers Warmuth and Aileen Smith.
Patrick (55.29) edged out Columbia teammate Ray to win the 100 fly; the Elis’ Hirschi was third.
Kluge won the 400 IM in 4:19.77, solidly ahead of teammate Ng and Emma Smith of Yale.
Yale’s all-freshman quartet of Zhou, Olivia Jameson, Michelle Chintanaphol, and Wujciak came from behind to beat Columbia’s 400 free relay 3:28.02 to 3:28.42.
Final score: Columbia Lions 185 – Yale Bulldogs 115
ROAR!!!!