Sophomore breaststroker Meredith Holcomb practices on Nov. 19, 2024.
Credit: Weining DingPenn women’s swimming and diving is ready to make a splash at the Ivy League Championships just up north at Princeton from Feb. 19-22.
The Quakers finished the regular season with a strong 8-4 overall record but a less-than-ideal 3-4 conference record. Looking to prove it’s more than a losing Ancient Eight record, the team is focused on excelling at the Ivy championships.
“I think the team mindset has been absolutely amazing throughout the whole season and especially now, headed into championship season,” junior freestyle/individual medley specialist Anna Moehn wrote in a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian.
Moehn is leading the way for the Red and Blue heading into the Ivy championships, especially as a leader for the historically dominant Penn distance freestyle group that has swept multiple podiums in the previous three Ivy championships. The distance swimmer has some big shoes to fill after the graduation of freestyle specialist Anna Kalandadze — who took home two Ivy titles and finished fourth at the NCAA Division I Championships last year.
But the Alton, Ill. native is more than ready. She has been on the podium in the 500-yard and 1650 freestyle in her freshman and sophomore seasons. Moehn is looking to come out on top at the Ivy championships and swim fast enough to return to the NCAA championships. Moehn is seeded first in the 1650 free and second in the 200 and 500 free.
Distance group teammate and fellow junior freestyle specialist Sydney Bergstrom is also one to watch. The Swarthmore, Pa. native finished just behind Moehn and Kalandadze in the 1650 free at last year’s Ivy championships and claimed two Eastern College Athletic Conference titles in both distance freestyle disciplines. Bergstrom is seeded second behind Moehn in the 1650 free and fourth in the 500 free.
Another veteran to keep an eye on is senior breaststroke specialist Izzy Pytel, who is in her final Ivy championships. The Naperville, Ill. native has lowered her program records in both breaststroke events in the past two seasons, but the elusive medal finishes in both events have been just out of reach. It will be exciting to see if she’ll be able to break onto the podium in her events after several close calls and many A finals in previous years.
But veterans are not the only ones shining for the Red and Blue this year.
Freshman freestyle/butterfly specialist Kayla Fu had a standout regular season and is not slowing down. The Sugar Land, Texas native broke the 100 butterfly program record and played a key role in the program record-breaking 200 medley relay at the Princeton Big AI Invitational. Fu is seeded first and second in the 100 fly and free, respectively.
“What’s special about Kayla is how good she is … underwater … her kick is pretty special,” coach Mike Schnur said when asked about Fu. “And who knows where she’ll be in a couple years — she could be swimming completely different events than she’s doing right now, but she’s really special.”
Sophomore backstroke/freestyle/individual medley specialist Katya Eruslanova is another underclassman to watch. Last year, the Havertown, Pa. native finished first in the B final in all of her individual events, notably swimming times faster than some of the A finalists.
This week, it will be exciting to see if she can improve her preliminary morning swims to break into the A finals or possibly onto the podium at the Ivy championships — especially in the 200 individual medley, in which she is the reigning program record holder. Eruslanova is seeded fourth and third in the 200 and 400 individual medley, respectively.
The roster as a whole is strong, even with the loss of Sheerr Pool and relocation to the pools at the West Philadelphia YMCA and Drexel. At the Big AI Invitational in December 2024, the Quakers pulled off an impressive comeback after maintaining second in the first days of the meet to finish first ahead of Princeton, Columbia, and George Washington.
“It’s been such a chaotic year with having no home pool, but in a way, that’s brought us even closer,” Moehn wrote. “It’s so motivating to see how everyone has embraced this year’s challenges and continued to work hard anyway.”
And with this momentum, a top-three team finish at the Ivy championships is in reach — something that hasn’t happened since 2022.
“I think our team is phenomenal this year and with how much work everyone has put in,” Fu wrote in a statement to the DP. “I think we have a great chance at winning. It would be amazing to see us place top 3 overall.”
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
Donate
