Princeton Surges to Ivy League Women’s Title; Penn’s Anna Kalandadze Highlights Distance Events
The 2024 Women’s Ivy League Swimming Championships, held at the Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center in Providence, Rhode Island, showcased a series of record-breaking performances and intense competitions from February 21st to February 24th.
Final team scores:
- Princeton: 1403 points
- Harvard: 1317.5 points
- Yale: 1069 points
- Brown: 1036 points
- Penn: 863.5 points
- Columbia: 683 points
- Cornell: 609 points
- Dartmouth: 475 points
Day One
On the first day of the 2024 Ivy League Championships, Princeton’s women’s team broke the Ivy League record in the 200 medley relay with Alexa Pappas, Margaux McDonald, Sabrina Johnston, and Ela Noble finishing in 1:36.79. Princeton also triumphed in the 800 freestyle relay with Ellie Marquardt, Sabrina Johnston, Eleanor Sun, and Heidi Smithwick recording a time of 7:04.45. Harvard and Brown secured the second and third places, respectively, in both events.
Day Two
Day two saw Penn’s Anna Kalandadze win the 500 freestyle in 4:37.21, narrowly missing the championship record. Princeton dominated the 200 individual medley, with Dakota Tucker leading in 1:56.77, and the Tigers achieving a remarkable 1-2-3-4 finish. Sabrina Johnston from Princeton sprinted to victory in the 50 freestyle with a fast 22.07. Harvard’s Nina Janmyr emerged as the champion in 1-meter diving, scoring 289.30 points. The day concluded with Princeton setting a new Ivy League meet record in the 200 freestyle relay, clocking in at 1:29.03.
Day Three
Day three was highlighted by an outstanding performance from Brown’s Lillian Klinginsmith, who won the 100 butterfly at 52.53, closely followed by Harvard’s Sydney Lu. Princeton’s Dakota Tucker dominated the 400 individual medley, finishing at 4:07.32. In the 200 freestyle, Morgan Lukinac from Brown narrowly outpaced Ellie Marquardt from Princeton with a time of 1:45.49. The 100 breaststroke saw Princeton’s Margaux McDonald lead at 1:00.20, while Harvard’s Anya Mostek set a new Ivy League record in the 100 backstroke at 52.15 seconds. Brown’s Isabella George scored 299.85 points to win the 3-meter diving event. The day wrapped up with Harvard’s team edging Princeton in the 400 medley relay, marking a thrilling conclusion at 3:33.65.
Day Four
On the final day, Penn’s Anna Kalandadze showcased her distance prowess, defending her mile title with a near-record time of 15:54.53, leading a Penn 1-2-4 finish in the event. The women’s 200 backstroke saw Harvard’s Anya Mostek narrowly clinch victory in 1:54.43, edging out Princeton’s Margaux McDonald. Princeton’s Sabrina Johnston secured her second individual win in the 100 freestyle at 48.28 seconds. Dakota Tucker of Princeton won the 200 breaststroke in 2:09.88, which was her third individual victory. In the 200 butterfly, Princeton continued their winning streak, with Heidi Smithwick finishing first at 1:54.62. Nina Janmyr led Harvard to a clean sweep of the top spots in 3-meter diving. Princeton concluded the meet with a relay victory in the 400 freestyle relay, solidifying their dominance with a total of 1403 points, followed by Harvard (1317.5) and Yale (1069).
