Despite earning valuable momentum from winning the Nike Invitational at Kenyon College last weekend, the Penn women’s swimming team fell to a less prolific Columbia opponent last night in New York, N.Y.
The Lions (2-2, 1-2 Ivy) won 11 of 14 swimming events, out-scoring the Quakers (1-2, 1-2 Ivy) 173-127.
The loss was especially disappointing as earlier in the week, coach Mike Schnur predicted a Penn win.
“If we swim as fast as we did this weekend, we’ll have a very good chance to win,” he said.
Unfortunately for Penn, several swimmers were unable to maintain their fast times from the previous weekend, as Kenyon’s three-day meet seemed to take a toll on the Red and Blue.
Senior Andrea Balint finished the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:54:88, which resulted in a third place finish. Her 1:52:41 time from Saturday would have awarded her first-place and added valuable points for Penn.
The Quakers were also dealt a substantial blow when their top 200-freestyle relay team of senior Amy Reams, Felicia Leksono, Ji Young Lee, and Lauren Brandes disqualified due to a false start.
Despite those costly setbacks, Penn did have several impressive wins during the meet.
Balint took first in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:07.74, just minutes after placing fourth in the 100-yard butterfly. Balint is three-for-three in that event so far this season.
In the 50-yard freestyle, senior Lauren Brandes touched out Columbia swimmer Allison Hobbs by two one-hundredths of a seconds, while junior Naomi Delphin controlled the pool in the 200-yard freestyle, finishing in 1:53.74 — a full second ahead of her closest competitors.
The Quakers also benefitted from an overall strong performance from their divers, who scored 30 of Penn’s 127 points.
On the springboards, seniors Melissa Gardel, Madeline Bauer, and junior Siobhan Carey swept the 3-meter event. In the one-meter, Bauer and Gardel took first and second, respectively, while Carey placed fifth.
Though it was apparent that the Lions would be a formidable opponent from the start — Penn’s 200-yard medley relay team touched the wall at the exact same time as Columbia in the initial event — the Quakers hope to take advantage of a long break so that they will be fully rested for the remainder of Ivy dual meets.
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