Princeton Carries Lead Into Final Day Of Ivy Championships

PRINCETON, New Jersey, February 16. THREE wins by senior Kelly Hannigan, including two in individual events and one in an Ivy record-setting 800 free relay, helped the No. 23 Princeton women's swimming and diving team to a 72.5-point lead over Harvard entering the final day of the 2007 Ivy League Championships. Princeton got two other individual wins, including a record-shattering performance by freshman Alicia Aemisegger, who topped her own Ivy record in the 1000 free by nearly 10 seconds.

Princeton enters Saturday's final sessions with 1002 team points, while Harvard holds second place with 929.5 points. Both teams have separated themselves from the field, as third-place Yale has only 770 points.

Princeton started the day with a third-place finish in the 200 medley relay. The team of Hannigan, Aemisegger, Justina DiFazio and Sobenna George finished in a time of 1:43.66.

Aemisegger won her second individual event of the competition when she routed the field in the 1000 free. Her winning time of 9:37.55 was 14 seconds faster than anybody else's time, and it was almost 10 full seconds off her own Ivy-best time. Junior Ellen Gray, one of the top Princeton point scorers from last year's championship squad, placed third in 9:53.61, and freshman Aurora Lee took sixth in 10:08.82.

Hannigan won the 400 IM in 4:20.14, while junior Lisa Hamming placed third in 4:22.69. Alex Wiley also made the championship final and placed eighth in 4:32.19. Those scores helped offset the 100 fly, where Princeton's top finisher, Meghan Capparell, finished 19th in 58.60.

Sophomore Justina DiFazio also claimed her second win of the championships when she won the 200 free in 1:47.88. Teammate Kristen Arey finished seventh in a time of 1:53.19.

Hannigan went back to the top of the winners' stand by claiming the 100 breast in 1:02.92. Freshman Courtney Kilkuts added a third-place finish in 1:04.02.

Following a 15th-place finish in the 100 back by Capparell (58.93), the 800 free relay team ended the session in style for the leading Tigers. The squad of DiFazio, Hamming, Hannigan and Aemisegger defeated Harvard by three seconds and set an Ivy record with a winning time of 7:20.43.

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