The Columbia women’s team, whose undefeated 2013-14 season led to its first-ever Ivy League Dual Meet title, traveled to Sheerr Pool on Friday for a dual meet against the host Penn Quakers. The Quaker women were ready for the Lions; they won all the individual events and both relays and racked up a final score of 215 to 85.
Penn’s Lauryn Brown (25.75), Haley Wickham (29.19), Rochelle Dong (24.34), and Kimberly Phan (23.45) began with a 1:42.73 to 1:43.05 win in the medley relay over Gabrielle Tocack (26.54), Jennifer Shahar (28.51), Christina Ray (24.45), and Mikaila Gaffey (23.55).
A harbinger of things to come, Penn freshman Carolyn Yang swam a monster final 50 in the 1000 and out-touched Columbia’s Mallory McKeon 10:12.13 to 10:12.25. Yang also won the 500 by a nose, but this time it was teammate Megan Dollard in second (4:57.71) and McKeon in third (5:02.26).
Yang’s classmates Virginia Burns (1:49.75) and Dollard (1:50.16) went 1-2 in the 200 free ahead of Columbia freshman Cristi Frias (1:53.17).
Quaker Dong won the first of her two events with a 54.77 in the 100 back over Toback (55.84). She then went 54.08 for the 100 fly title. Columbia’s Ray (55.10) touched second.
Penn’s Wickham won the 100 breast in 1:04.52, but the big excitement came when freshman Sydney Tan took second place over Columbia’s Shahar by 1/100, 1:05.00 to 1:05.01.
Penn senior and co-captain Taylor Sneed won the 200 fly with a Sheerr Pool record of 2:00.31; teammate Madeleine Jardeleza (2:02.40) was second and Columbia’s Kristine Ng (2:05.14), third.
Quaker freshman Phan won the 50 free in 23.63. Columbia’s Ray went 23.80 for second. The pair finished fifth and fourth, respectively in the 100 free, though, as Penn’s Virginia Burns (50.80) and Gaffey of the Lions (51.11) led the field.
Ryan Alexander, yet another Quaker freshman, was the victor in the 200 back; she took down Columbia’s Toback 2:01.43 to 2:02.47. Sophomore Ellie Grimes added points to the Quakers’ total with a 2:16.86 win in the 200 breast. Grimes doubled up with a 2:04.91 win over Columbia’s Ng (2:06.72) in the 200 IM.
In diving, Penn’s Cassidy Golden won the 1-meter event, while Maggie Heller won the 3-meter.
Penn finished up their perfect 14-for-14 meet with a 3:25.45 in the 400 free relay. The Quakers’ winning quartet consisted of Dong (51.23), Dollard (51.64), Phan (51.79), and Burns (50.79).
Really? People are moaning about suiting up for the 1st meet of the season? Do you REALLY think that matters? Swimming is 50% mental, 49% physical, and 1% equipment. Don’t doubt it.
There is a reason HY&P don’t play these silly games. I am embarrassed that our girls felt it was necessary, and then defensible, to suit up for a season-opening dual meet. Congratulations: we are now exactly at the same level as Columbia. We no longer have the right to complain about anyone else’s behavior.
2014 Women’s Ivy League Championships:
1. Harvard University 1409
2. Princeton University 1384
3. Yale University 1163.5
4. Columbia University 945
5. University of Pennsylvania 882
6. Brown University 792.5
7. Cornell University 662
8. Dartmouth College 535
Or just all the other teams in the Ivy League could not wear fast suits…maybe this way Columbia will stop their strategy because they would be the only ones. Just disappointed to see Penn on the same respect level as the Lions. They have such a talented team this year and it’d be great to see what they could pull off without the help. Hope they don’t do this for the rest of the season.
Well the thing is that the other teams weren’t suiting up until Columbia started this nonsense. Most of the teams still don’t, and HY&P definitely don’t. Columbia is also very arrogant (and naive) about their “achievement” of being dual meet champs, as if that even matters. Guess it’s a recruiting strategy for the naive high school swimmer. Meanwhile, it’s an embarrassment to the whole Ivy League who is never taken seriously in sports anyway. The Ivy League has some fantastic teams and swimmers who can compete with the best, but their performance isn’t respected when they (at least some teams) don’t play the same game as the rest of Division 1 swimming. Nobody knows what they’re about or gives them… Read more »
Great times all around for Penn but I wish both teams had swum without suits. It’s just silly to suit up for these dual meets when other teams in the Ivy League are not suiting up until the mid or last championship meet. Penn is just stooping down to Columbia’s tactics.
Not “stooping down”, merely giving them a taste of their own medicine.
Last season, Cornell suited up and beat both Penn and Princeton in a dual meet. Neither Penn nor Princeton wore fast suits at the meet. Cornell proceeded to get 7th at Ivies, while Princeton and Penn placed 2nd and 4th, respectively.
Winning dual meets shouldn’t come down to wearing fast suits. Thanks to the arms race started by Columbia, teams have to match tactics in order to have a fair competition. While I agree that everyone not suiting up for dual meets would be ideal, it can’t happen if Columbia always suits up.
*Correction: Penn women placed 3rd at Ivies last year
Well good for Penn, beating Columbia at their own game, suited up, I assume. Columbia has turned off the entire Ivy League over the past few years, suiting up for every meet all season (no exaggeration). I know their fans will post some defense, but being Ivy League Dual Meet Champions last year and placing 4th at Ivy Champs says a lot. I just hope Penn doesn’t follow suit all season (pun intended.)
Congratulations Penn!! Five pool records were broken as well!