Elis Hand Lions Second Ivy Defeat of Early Season

Correction appended.

Despite the confidence exuded by the Columbia men's swim team coming into their second Ivy meet against Yale, the Lions came up short, losing 171-129. The Bulldogs placed first in most of the individual events, with Columbia's only wins coming from Mike Nelson in the 100 breaststroke and Justin Reardon in one of the diving events.

"We lost because they swam really fast," captain Tobin White explained. "We didn't swim poorly, we actually swam better than last year and had a lot of season best times. There is nothing really that we could have done other than if Yale was swimming slower."

When asked how important home pool advantage is, White explained that while it should not be a huge factor, it did affect the mental state of the swimmers to a degree.

"It seems to play a big role," White said. "We beat them last year at our pool. There is something important about defending your own pool. Obviously, if we had every meet at home we wouldn't be ready. But the main thing is that you're used to your pool, and Yale is a bizarre place to swim with flat walls instead of gutters."

Their meet against Harvard this Friday will be an important indicator for how the men have handled this early loss and whether they can move forward positively.

Correction: The headline "Elis Hand Lions Second Ivy Defeat of Early Season" (Nov. 13) incorrectly stated that it was the Columbia men's swim team's second defeat of the season. It was the team's first defeat of the season.