Women’s Swimming Poised for Success Against Harvard, Army

Returning from last week’s decisive win over Yale, the women’s swimming team is prepared to take on Harvard and Army this weekend as it looks to improve upon last year’s Ivy standings.

The Lions are on an upswing, having defeated the Bulldogs in the season opener, a team to which they lost last year. The victory, coupled with the 200-yard medley relay’s record-breaking performance, has given the Light Blue the confidence to take on the Crimson, head coach Diana Caskey said.

“We’ve never beaten Harvard,” she said. “We’re going to give them a good run on paper. They’re a bit deeper than we are, but it’s home pool, and we have nothing to lose. It’ll be a much better meet than it has been in the past.”

Last season, Harvard defeated the Lions, with the Crimson dominating the 200-yard medley relay, 400-yard IM, and 500-yard freestyle. This year, Harvard is looking strong after defeating Cornell and Dartmouth earlier in the season. The Crimson’s 200-yard medley relay, made up of Jaclyn Pangilinan, Lindsay Hart, Meaghan Colling, and Katy Hinkle, is expected to be tough competition for the Lions’ “A” team.

Caskey said that only a full team effort and “depth across the board” will contribute to a Columbia victory, but said that freshmen Mariele Dunn, with her two wins last weekend, and Amanda Stewart are anticipated to turn in strong performances in the breaststroke event. Junior Hannah Galey is a serious contender in the freestyle events, according to senior captain Amy Krakauer, and Delghir Urubshurow will swim both the 200 and 400 IM against the Crimson.

The Army meet, according to Caskey, is a lighter meet that is designed to try swimmers in different events. “We’re the dominant team with Army,” she said, “and so we want to highlight people who may not traditionally score in the top three and give them a chance to score for the team.”

The Harvard meet and the Army meet, on Friday and Saturday respectively, will serve as indicators for the rest of the Lions’ season; a tough fight for the Crimson coupled with notable showings from nascent swimmers against Army can lay the groundwork for an improved Ivy finish.

“This year, we really turned around,” Krakauer said. “We’re coming in, getting our work done, and no one is questioning what we can do. Everyone knows we can swim well, and that’s what we have to do.”