Princeton Takes Early Lead at Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming League Championships

LONG ISLAND, N.Y. March 2. THE Princeton men's swimming and diving team leads by just over 100 points after the first day of competition at the 2006 Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming League Championships. The Tigers have accumulated 437 points, followed by last year's champion Harvard Crimson at 333 points and Cornell at 292 points.

Thanks to a quantity of finishers, Princeton has the lead at the Nassau County Aquatic Center despite the fact that there were no individual winners for the Tigers. Senior standout sprinter Will Reinhardt finished second in the 50 freestyle, losing his title to Yale freshman phenom Alex Righi. Righi notched a 19.83 in the final, a time good enough for second all time at the EISL Championships.

Harvard started the night off with a narrow victory over the Tigers in the 200-yard freestyle relay. The Crimson finished at 1:20.7, while Princeton touched the wall at 1:20.73.

The Cornell Big Red made a splash in the 500-yard freestyle, finishing in the top two spots. Junior Michael Smith clocked in at 4:24.26, followed by freshman Wesley Newman at 4:25.14.

The 200 individual medley was dominated by Harvard sophomore Geoff Rathgeber, who easily defeated his competition and set a meet record with his 1:46.11 finish. Harvard senior Danil Rybalko finished second last year in both diving events and claimed the title in the one-meter diving on Thursday night.

The night ended with a close race in the 400-yard medley relay, as the Cornell Big Red team pulled ahead of the Crimson in the last 50 yards for the victory.

Racing picks up again in the morning with preliminary heats starting at 11 am. Tomorrow features the 100-yard fly, breast, and backstroke competitions, among others.

Name*

Email*

Welcome to our community. We invite you to join our discussion. Our community guidelines are simple: be respectful and constructive, keep on topic, and support your fellow commenters. Commenting signifies that you agree to our Terms of Use