Columbia vs. Harvard

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts. November 21. FOLLOWING an opening relay win by Columbia, the Harvard women's swimming and diving team won three straight events and pulled away to a 190-110 winat Blodgett Pool.

Freshman Meghan Leddy swept the backstrokes to lead the Crimson (3-0, 3-0 Ivy League), while sophomores Katy Hinkle and Katherine Pickard won individual events and contributed to a relay victory. Columbia's Mariele Dunn played a part in three event wins but could not prevent the first loss for the Lions (2-1, 2-1).

Junior Kay Foley, sophomores Kate Mills and Christine Kaufmann and freshmen Catherine Zagroba and Monica Burgos also picked up individual victories as Harvard won 10 of the day's 16 events.

The Lions started the afternoon with a win in the 200-yard medley relay, as the team of Lauren Fraley, Dunn, Allison Hobbs and Hannah Galey got to the wall in 1:46.37, ahead of the second-place Harvard squad of Leddy, Alicia Lightbourne, Monica Burgos and Hinkle. Columbia led, 11-6.

Harvard, however, turned things around quickly, thanks to consecutive wins by Pickard, Zagroba and Leddy. Pickard and Foley gave the Crimson the lead for good, posting a 1-2 finish in the 400 individual medley, with Pickard touching in 4:25.14. Foley finished in 4:26.65, more than four seconds ahead of the first Columbia finisher.

Zagroba then took the 200 freestyle in 1:51.58, with junior Alexandra Clarke placing third. Leddy and junior Natalia Festa followed with a 1-2 finish in the 100 back. Both broke the one-minute mark, with Leddy winning in 58.68. Dunn won the 100 breaststroke for Columbia, but the rookie trio Helen Pitchik, Lightbourne and Victoria Pratt took the next three spots to keep the Harvard lead at 19.

The Crimson then broke things open with a sweep of the top three spots in the 200 butterfly. Mills led the way, in 2:03.59, followed by Kaufmann and Kristi Korsberg. Hinkle followed by winning the 50 free in 24.49 seconds, with Burgos taking third.

Shannon Hosey picked up the first of her two diving wins for Columbia, but the Crimson once again used its depth to keep the Lions from rallying. Sophomore Jenny Reese placed second in the three-meter with 255.75 points, fewer than five points back of Hosey, to lead Harvard finishers in the next five spots.

A Galey win in the 100 free cut the margin to 101-68, but Harvard again took control with a top-three sweep, as Leddy (2:05.11), Mills (2:07.73) and freshman Margaret Fish (2:08.98) took the top three spots in the 200 back. Dunn then won the 200 breast, but Pitchik, Pratt and Foley went 2-3-4 to keep Harvard up big, 126-81.

Another Crimson sweep followed, as Kaufmann won the 500 free in 4:57.28, followed by Zagroba and Clarke. Burgos and Pickard then provided the finish of the day, with the freshman edging the sophomore by two one-hundredths of a second to win the 100 fly in 57.43. Hosey then won the three-meter for the Lions with Reese again taking second for Harvard.

Foley won the final individual event, the 200 IM, in 2:09.91. Harvard then ended the day in winning fashion, with Hinkle, Pickard, Lightbourne and sophomore Laura Murray taking the 400 free relay in 3:32.82.

Special thanks to Harvard for contributing this report.

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