The Princeton women’s swimming and diving team is set to compete next season under first-year head coach Bret Lundgaard, and the team named two seniors and one junior — Claire McIlmail, Maddy Veith, and Joanna Curry, respectively — to serve as tri-captains for the upcoming season.
McIlmail placed eighth in the women’s 200 free Ivy final in 2017, and she won the Ivy League title in the 200 free during her freshman season. She finished seventh in the 200 free and ninth in the 500 at the 2016 Ivy Championships.
“I am so honored and excited to be a PUCSDT women’s tri-captain this year,” McIlmail said. “This year will bring on so much excitement and change for our team and I’m ready to help lead us in a positive direction along with my tri-captains. Being a captain to me means being open to the ideas of my teammates and encouraging the team to work as a unit towards our season goals. I can’t wait to work closely with all of my teammates towards the amazing
successes that I know we will have next season. Let’s go Tigers!”
Veith is serving her second year as a team captain. A consistent member of the Tiger relays, she earned second-team All-Ivy League honors as a member of the 2016 400 free relay, and she earned first-team All-Ivy League honors as the anchor of the winning 200, 400, and 800 free relays to help Princeton win the 2015 Ivy League title to cap an exciting freshman season.
“I am very eager for and optimistic about next season,” Veith said. “Although there will be a lot of big adjustments, I think the team is excited to embrace the challenges of change and are very willing to do what it takes to bring our program to the next level. Being a captain during this time is an incredible honor because I have the opportunity to be a catalyst for a positive evolution within this team and to guide the group through the next phase of Princeton Swimming and Diving. It means a lot to me to be a captain of this team because I feel like I am a part of something much bigger than just myself, and I can give back to the program that has given me so much.”
Curry placed sixth in the 100 fly and seventh in the 200 fly at the 2017 Ivy Championships, and she reached two “A” finals at her first Ivies as a freshman.
“It is an honor to be elected captain and to serve alongside Maddy and Claire for the upcoming season,” Curry said. “I look forward to welcoming our new head coach Bret Lundgaard along with an extremely talented incoming freshman class. I am thrilled to help lead this team through this exciting transition and to lay the new foundation for the future of Princeton Women’s Swimming and Diving.”
Swimming news courtesy of Princeton Athletics.
Wonderful article. Hope the Princeton AD has a framed golden framed copy. Just wonderful.