While one team will look to continue its winning ways, the other hopes to get its season on track.
Penn men’s and women’s swimming will travel to Cornell this weekend to compete in each team’s first tri-meet of the season. The men (3-0, 1-0 Ivy) will look to continue their hot start against Ivy League rivals Princeton and Cornell while the women (1-2, 0-1) hope to earn their first conference win of the year.
The men’s squad has gotten off to an impressive start this season, following a strong first meet against Columbia with victories against local rivals La Salle and Villanova. In each of their matchups last week, the Red and Blue won the first six races to create a sizeable gap in points between them and their opponents.
Cornell (1-1, 1-1) is coming off an Ivy League tri-meet where it defeated Dartmouth but lost to Harvard, the defending conference champion. Junior Ryan Brown led the Big Red with the team’s only win last weekend in the 200-yard breaststroke. He will likely be matched up against Penn junior Colin McHugh, who finished with a season-best mark to win the 200 breast last week against Villanova.
Princeton (2-0, 0-0) has also had a strong start to the year, defeating two non-conference opponents.
The Tigers also earned first place in the Big Al Invitational, a four team meet in which they hosted Duke, Northwestern, and Penn State. They are led by senior captains Cole Buese and Murphy McQuet, the former of whom won two races last week.
The Quakers will look to continue their run of strong medley performances to begin the year while continuing to dominate the 1000 freestyle, an event Penn has swept the top three spots in its last two meets.
Penn women’s swimming aims to get its season back on track after splitting last week’s matchups against La Salle and Villanova. Like the men’s team, it will face Cornell (0-2, 0-2) and Princeton (2-0, 0-0) this weekend.
Hoping to build upon the win against La Salle, the Quakers will rely on junior Kaitlin Stearns, who won both of her meets last week. They will also hope to continue their impressive showings in the 200 butterfly and the 200 backstroke. Last week, Penn was able to sweep the podium in both races.
Cornell is still looking for its first win of the season. The Big Red almost won their season opening meet against Dartmouth, but lost by a slim four-point margin. Senior Helen Hsu has looked dangerous this season, earning wins in the 100 back and 50 free.
Princeton’s women’s side won its first two matches in dominant fashion and finished fifth in the Big Al Invitational. The Tigers are led by senior captain Joanna Curry, who had two top-four finishes in a deep field of talented swimmers.
The tri-meet will likely be an indicator of where Penn swimming stands in the Ivy League on both the men’s and women’s sides. If the Quakers can defeat multiple conference rivals, their prospects for the rest of the season look promising.
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