Men’s Swimming Hits the Water at Princeton Invitational

After a long break, the Columbia men’s swimming and diving team returns to action this weekend as the Lions will travel to New Jersey to compete in the Princeton Invitational.

Columbia (2-2, 0-2 Ivy) was last in the water on Nov. 19, as the team defeated Fordham 184-116 for its second straight win. The victory was an all-around team effort, as eight different swimmers touched first in 11 of the 16 events. It was a breakout meet for highly touted recruit Adam Clayton Powell, who won his first event of his collegiate career. All eyes will be on South Korean import Hyun Lee, who has emerged as the team’s most prominent threat in the pool. Lee placed first in both the 50- and 1,000-yard freestyle events, continuing this season’s domination.

The meet is broken up into six sessions over three days, beginning with preliminary sessions on Friday. The host team is considered the favorite, as the reigning EISL and Ivy League champions are 3-0 on the year. The Tigers (3-0, 2-0 Ivy) have not competed since their Nov. 16 victories over Cornell and Penn in a dual meet held in Philadelphia. Princeton has never lost a dual meet at DeNunzio Pool, where it claimed its 2007 EISL title.

Leading the Tigers is junior Doug Lennox. The versatile swimmer is adept at the butterfly, freestyle, and individual medley, and was the 2007 league champion. Also of note is junior butterfly and freestyler Will Schaffer, who has won at least one event in every meet this year. Distance swimmer Pat Biggs has also been proving that he is worth his salt. The freshman has performed well, picking up his first win two weeks ago in the 1,000-yard freestyle.

The Lions will also need to contend with an expansive field. Among the other competing schools are Brown, Bucknell, Pittsburgh, Penn State, and Rider.
Action is set to begin Friday at 11 a.m. at DeNunzio Pool in Princeton, N.J.