Rutgers Against Princeton Tigers; Men Fall to Tigers, Women Prevail

PRINCETON, NJ, November 28. RUTGERS swimming and diving squads split its dual meets at Princeton last week, as the women earned a 156.50-140.50 triumph over the Tigers while the men fell by a score of 202-98, as reported by Rutgers.

“It’s an honor to renew our dual meet rivalry with the great Princeton men’s and women’s teams,” said head coach Chuck Warner. “They are both defending Ivy League champs and are very deserving of that honor.”

The Scarlet Knight women (2-0) handed Princeton just its second loss in the last three years, staking Rutgers’ claim as the strongest team in the Northeast. Kelly Harrigan (Bristol, CT), Meghan Sesno (Neenah, WI), Molly Jones (Lodi, CA) Ruth Nichols (Raleigh, NC) and Allie Dean (Buffalo, NY) all played major roles in the victory, along with Allyson Parent (Glen Falls, NY), Sarah Bicknell (Pleasant Valley, IA), Lauren Fabiano (West Orange, NJ) and Annie Goldstein (Barrington, RI).

“Our women’s team did a great job from the top down, both diver and swimmer,” said Warner. “Every last one of them was great today. From diver Megan Senso winning the 1-meter board to our leaders Molly Jones, Kelly Harrigan, Ruth Nichols and Allie Dean. But the sophomores of Allyson Parent, Sarah Bicknell, Laura Fabiano and Annie Goldstein were just plain special and that what’s really put us over the top.”

In the women’s 200 medley relay, Rutgers finished first and third, with the winning team consisting of Harrigan, Catherine Hetzel (Metuchen, NJ), Mindy Tang (Durham, NC) and Nichols put away a strong Princeton team by winning in more than a half second.

Parent took top honors in the 400 IM, winning the contest by just one one hundredth of a second. The time is a BIG EAST “A” cut time and is currently the second fastest time in the conference. She also won the 500 free in come-from-behind fashion with a personal best time. Koronowicz and Dunphy were third and fourth, respectively, in the 500 free. Freshmen Kierstin Koronowicz (New Windsor, NY) and Ashley Dunphy (Palm Springs, CA) were first and third in the 200 free, and Koronowicz’s time is a BIG EAST “A” cut time, the fastest in the conference thus far. Dunphy is currently ranked third in the conference.

Harrigan breezed to victory in the 100 back, winning the event by two full seconds (56.75). Her time narrowly missed an NCAA “B” cut standard. Fabiano finished a strong third place, just missing breaking 59 seconds, which is a BIG EAST qualifying time.

Hertzel won the 100 breaststroke by almost a full second, posting the fifth fastest time in the BIG EAST thus far. Dean was third with a BIG EAST “A” cut time. Additionally, Bicknell was first in the 200 fly and Nichols won the 50 free.

Rutgers was second, third and fifth in the 100 free with Nichols leading the charge. Koronowicz was third and Jones was fifth. The Scarlet Knights picked up critical points in the 200 back, as Harrigan, Goldstein and Fabiano finished first, second and fourth, respectively. Harrigan’s time is another NCAA “B” cut time and the fastest in the conference.

Hertzel narrowly missed winning the 200 breaststroke, while Dean swam her fastest time of the year in the same event.

Bicknell finished more than two seconds ahead of the field in the 100 fly, and in the process put herself third in the BIG EAST. Tang was third in the event with a BIG EAST “A” cut time. Senso claimed top honors in the 1-meter dive and was one of the final events that helped the Scarlet Knights clinch the victory.

The women’s 400 free relay team won the event in dominating fashion, claming victory by three seconds. The relay team is now five seconds ahead of the next closest competitor in the BIG EAST.

For the men (1-1), Sean Smith (Oklahoma City, OK) continued his stellar season by winning the 1000 free by over three seconds. Additionally, Smith was second in the 400 IM (4:05.07), the third fastest time in the BIG EAST. Ivan Morse (Pleasanton, CA), the school record holder in the 200 free, was second in the event while Bobby Daplyn (Vineland, NJ) was third with a BIG EAST “A” cut time and the sixth fastest in the BIG EAST thus far. Morse also won the 100 free and was second in the 50 free.

Bill Dennis (West Long Branch, NJ) was second and Jonathan Hupp (Mobile, AL) was fifth in the 100 breaststroke. Hupp also finished second in the 200 breaststroke. In the 200 fly, Tyler Clark (Granada Hills, CA) finished third and (1:52.90), placing his third in the BIG EAST. He was also second in the 100 fly.

Jared Bench (West Babylon, NY) was first in the 1-meter dive and 3-meter dive while freshman Alan Bakes (Browns Mill, NJ) had a personal best in the 200 backstroke.

Rutgers returns to action Friday, Dec. 3 through Sunday, Dec. 5 when it returns to Princeton to compete in the annual Princeton Invitational.

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