Aquawomen Challenge Vaunted Tigers; Final Relay Deals Crimson 79-70 Loss

The Princeton women's swimming team came to Blodgett Pool Saturday with a line-up full of league record holders and prize rewards. The Tigers were undefeated and defending Ivy League and Eastern champions. They had never lost to Harvard in their five year dual meet history. In fact, they had never even been behind.

But this weekend, the Tigers had to claw and scratch to eke out a 79-70 victory over the Crimson aquawomen in a meet decided by the last race.'

"I don't think, there is any question as to who has the better team," Princeton head coach Jane Tyler said before the meet. But for 16 of 17 races, Harvard stayed with the Tigers, swimming to a host of personal and University records.

With Harvard trailing by only nine points after sophomore Debbie Zimic's very fast 1:01.96 win in the 100 IM, sophomore Jeanne Floyd upset Ivy League record-holder Liz Richardson in the 200 freestyle (1:55.51). And then, three races later, Zimic led teammate Cary Mazzone to a one three finish in the 200 butterfly. Freshman Diane Smith followed with a 25-33 victory in the 50 freestyle.

The Crimson divers, who have dominated competition all year long, were expected to face their first challenge against Princeton. But with Harvard down only 38-32 going into the one-meter event, freshman Jennifer Goldberg and All-Ivy junior Adriana Holy dismissed the Tigers handily, taking first and third, respectively.

Merit and Delay

Harvard overtook Princeton with two brilliant swims following the diving. In the 200 IM, Zimic opened up a sizeable lead during the backstroke leg and held on to upset Ivy League record holder Charlotte Tiedemann and establish a University record of 2:11.42. Floyd then touched out Tiger Karen Weisel in the 100 freestyle (54-87), with freshman Donna Marein finishing third. The one three finish gave the Crimson a 49-48 lead, its first-ever advantage in a meet against Princeton.

Steady

But the lead was short lived, as Tiger swimmers swept the 200 backstroke, and Tiedemann took first in the 200 breaststroke.

Floyd continued to swim brilliantly keeping Harvard close with her third win of the afternoon, a University record setting performance in the 500 freestyle (5:02.97).

Taking Steps

Goldberg and Holy then repeated their earlier performances with one-three finishes in a one three meter diving event, setting the stage for the final race of the day, the 400 freestyle relay. Princeton led by only 72-70, and the stakes for the relay were seven points to the winner and nothing to the second place finisher.

But a strong Tiger quartet powered past the exhausted team of Shelby Clavert, Mary Rentoumus, Ziomic and Floy, giving Princeton the narrow victory.