Swimming battles Harvard, Princeton for titles

For the first time, men's and women's teams from Yale, Harvard, and Princeton will compete at one venue.

By Steven J. Rosenthal

JULIA TIERNAN/YH The Yale swim teams, in the midst of stellar seasons, will look to earn Ivy bragging rights against rivals Princeton and Harvard.

Super Bowl, Shmuper Bowl. Yes, the Super Bowl was last Sunday evening, and I'm sure most people reading this article caught at least a glimpse of the big game-- or maybe just the big commercials. But everyone knows that ar-ound here, the only truly important mat-ches are those against Har-vard and Prin-ceton. Ask any Yale athlete or fan, and they will tell you that a victory over one of these rivals (preferably Harvard) can salvage even the most dismal season.

The Yale men's (8-0) and women's (5-1) swim teams, are having anything but dismal seasons, and they can continue their success in the biggest meet of the year on Fri., Feb. 5 and Sat., Feb. 6. Swimming's H-Y-Ps will descend on the Yale campus this weekend, and if everything goes according to plan for Bulldog swimmers, Harvard and Princeton will leave Payne Whitney with no idea what hit them.

The Big Three have dominated Ivy swimming for decades. Harvard, Yale, and Princeton have won all but four of the last 23 women's Ivy titles, while the three men's teams have shared 57 of 61 Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming League (EISL) titles since the EISL's inception.

The men's squad is coming off an especially impressive weekend. After destroying Penn 164-73, the Elis came back to leave Dartmouth in their collective wake, 151-86. Undefeated in the Ivy League, Yale swimmers are looking to take the Ivy title. "If we swim as well as we can, we should win this meet," George Gleason, TC '01, said.

Captain Steven Gold, MC '99, echoed Gleason's sentiments. "[Harvard and Princeton] are both good teams, but we've closed the gap a lot this year. If we swim well, I think we can win," he said. With a win at the H-Y-Ps this weekend, the Bulldogs will cap one of their most successful seasons in recent memory.

Victory in the Super Bowl of Yale swimming has eluded the Bulldogs in recent years. But with an incredibly deep team as well some strong individual swimmers, Yale has a chance to beat its two biggest rivals. That said, Gold was quick to point out that depth alone will not win this meet. Since only the first three places score in individual events and only first place counts in relays, Gold warned, "If we want to win this meet, we have to win a lot of the races. Second and third all night won't lead us to a victory."

To further boost its chances, the team has taken additional measures. Each swimmer has shaved for the meet. "Whether Harvard and Princeton shave all of their guys could play a role in the outcome of the meet," Gleason said. It is true that shaved swimmers usually swim faster. However, regardless of the hairiness of their opponents, "We know that this is going to be the toughest meet of our season so far," Gold said.

The women's team is in the midst of its own successful campaign. On Sat., Jan. 30, the Bulldogs annihilated Pennsylvania and Dartmouth, winning by scores of 173-120 and 191-95, respectively. Lindsey Wolter, BK '00, took first in three events, while Kate Ivers, BK '99, Allison Swint, SM '00, TC '02, and Shannon Mulcahy all won two events each. Riding a five-meet winning streak, the Elis are poised to take their shot at the Ivy title.

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