The Ivy League Enigma: Unveiling the Princeton Experience

DeNunzio Pool witnessed excitement Saturday afternoon as the weekend’s women’s tri-meet reached its conclusion. However, the home team was not a part of the drama.

The contest between the visiting teams — the Naval Academy and Kenyon — was decided in the last event, whereas Princeton’s contests against the other two teams were not as competitive. Princeton convincingly defeated both, overcoming Navy 249-104 and Kenyon 241-112.

Kenyon, a 25-time NCAA Division III champion, is where Princeton head coach Abby Brethauer had her collegiate career, having contributed to three of those national championships.

Carrying a substantial advantage into Saturday’s Day 2 of the competition, Princeton widened the gap promptly, as Alexa Pappas, Emily Appleton, Isabella Korbly, and Ela Noble clinched the 200 medley relay in 1:40.50. The Tigers finished with a 1-2 result in the day’s concluding event, the 400 free relay, with Sabrina Johnston, Jenna Walters, Heidi Smithwick, and Ela Noble finishing first in 3:18.27, while Nicole De Pree, Eleanor Sun, Edie Simecek, and Eliza Brown took second, trailing by four seconds.

In the 100 free, Johnston led a 1-2-3-4 finish for Princeton with an NCAA B qualifying time of 48.59, guiding teammates Sun, Noble, and Veronique Rossouw to the finish. Smithwick claimed the 500 free in 4:49.31, with two other Tigers, Natalie Farquhar and Meg Wheeler, finishing second and third respectively.

Princeton also achieved a 1-2-3 finish in the 200 back, with Alexa Pappas, Grace Black, and Wheeler taking the top three spots. Sun triumphed in the 200 IM with a time of 1:58.24, marking an NCAA B standard.

Furthermore, Princeton excelled in both diving competitions, finishing in the top three in the one-meter event (Maddie Seltzer, Charlotte Norman, Maggie Squire) and the three-meter event (Norman, Squire, Seltzer).

Princeton is set to compete against Penn State and Virginia Tech next weekend.