W. Swimming Rookies Lead Charge Against Columbia

Though the Columbia women were able to win the first two events of the meet, the Harvard women’s swimming and diving team displayed its talent and team depth when it came back to win, 170.5-129.5, at Uris Pool in New York this past weekend.

For the first time in the meet’s history, the Lions won the first swimming event of the day, the 200-yard medley relay.

“Columbia really went after us, and that was really evident in the first relay,” co-captain Jaclyn Pangilinan said. “It was basically a fight for second place. Our team did a really good job of not being flustered by it.”

The Crimson was able to rebound despite starting to feel the strains from the beginning of its season.

“You could see in peoples’ races that they were sore, but they put everything on the line,” co-captain Lindsay Hart said.

After being down, 24-12, against the Lions after the opening two events, Harvard made up ground by winning the remaining freestyle events and the final relay.

As in last week’s meet against Cornell and Dartmouth, the Crimson’s first-years came up strong. Freshmen Kate Mills and Katy Hinkle led the way by combining for five individual first-place finishes and 54 points.

Mills blew the competition out of the water, setting a pool record and winning the 200-yard butterfly by almost eight seconds in 2:01.63. She also won the 100-yard butterfly in 56.99 and the 200-yard individual medley in 2:05.71.

“Kate Mills has been swimming some awesome times and has had record-breaking performances almost every time she’s [swum],” Pangilinan said.

Hinkle finished the 100-yard freestyle in 51.87 and dominated the 50-yard freestyle event, in which she swam a time of 23.94, over a full second ahead of her closest competition. She also anchored the 400-freestyle relay, combining with Pangilinan, freshman Laura Murray, and sophomore Alexandra Clarke for the win with a time of 3:31.71.

The Crimson’s finishes provided encouraging signs that the team’s sprinting program may be improving.

“It was great to win some of the sprinting events because we’re not known as a team that’s good for sprinting,” Hart said.

Murray also won the 200-yard freestyle in 1:52.83, while Clarke took the 500-yard freestyle in 4:59.64. The Crimson saw an additional win come from Hart, who swam the 100-yard backstroke in 58.61.

Senior Samantha Papadakis, who is also a member of the Crimson’s sports board, won both the one- and three-meter diving events, earning 18 points for the team.

“Columbia came out fighting, and it was fun,” Hart said. “I think it showed that our team, even when we’re down, can come back. It showed everyone that Harvard’s about being strong until the end.”