2024 Ivy League Women’s Championships: Day 4 Prelims Live Recap

2024 Ivy League Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships

• Wednesday, February 21 – Saturday, February 24, 2024
• Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center, Providence, RI
• Defending Champions:
  • Women: Princeton (1x)
• Championship Central
• Pre-scratch Psych Sheet
• Live Results
• Live Video
• Day 1 Finals Live Recap
• Day 2 Prelims Live Recap | Day 2 Finals Live Recap
• Day 3 Prelims Live Recap | Day 3 Finals Live Recap

Saturday Prelims Heat Sheet

The fourth and final day of the 2024 Ivy League Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships is upon us. We still see the prelims of just four events for this prelims session: the 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, and 200 fly. Princeton holds the top seed in each of the four disciplines being contested this morning.

The top seed in the 200 back is Princeton’s Margaux McDonald, who won the 100 breast last night. McDonald also posted a 2nd place showing in the 200 IM on day two of the meet, showing that she is one of the most versatile swimmers in the country.

The 100 free field is led by Princeton’s Sabrina Johnston, and she is entered with a time of 48.46. She won the 50 free on day two of the meet and will have the opportunity to double up on sprint free gold medals. The sophomore also produced a 5th place performance in yesterday’s 100 fly final.

Two-time winner at this meet already, Dakota Tucker of Princeton, leads all entrants in the 200 breast. Her entry time of 2:09.54 clears the field by almost three full seconds, and she could very well go 3-for-3 in individual events here in Providence.

Princeton sophomore Heidi Smithwick has an entry time of 1:55.51 in the 200 fly, which also clears the field by nearly three seconds. She touched 7th in the 50 free and 3rd in the 100 fly earlier in the week.

WOMEN’S 200 BACKSTROKE – PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 1:47.24 – Beata Nelson, Wisconsin (2019)
• Ivy League Record: 1:52.56 – Felicia Pasadyn, Harvard (2020)
• Ivy Championships Record: 1:52.56 – Felicia Pasadyn, Harvard (2020)
• 2024 NCAA ‘A’ Standard: 1:50.50
• 2023 NCAA Invited Time: 1:53.34

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Anya Mostek (HARV) – 1:55.06
2. Margaux McDonald (PRIN) – 1:55.09
3. Aziza Ganihanova (COL) – 1:56.29
4. Addie Rose Bullock (HARV) – 1:56.43
5. Molly Hamlin (HARV) – 1:56.67
6. Liza Whitmire (PRIN) – 1:56.93
7. Grace Black (PRIN) – 1:57.11
8. Isabella Korbly (PRIN) – 1:57.78

Harvard and Princeton really separated themselves in the 200 back this morning. Harvard advanced three athletes to the A-final, and Princeton qualified four.

The top seed going into finals is Harvard’s Anya Mostek, who broke the Ivy League record in the 100 backstroke (twice) yesterday. Yesterday’s 100 breast winner, Margaux McDonald of Princeton, was just 0.03 behind Mostek this morning. Those two cleared the field by over a second this morning and will swim in lanes 4 and 5 later today.

Columbia’s Aziza Ganihanova (1:56.29) was 3rd overall this morning, leading a pack of 1:56 swims in the process. She clocked in at 1:56.29, with Addie Rose Bullock (1:56.43) of Harvard, Molly Hamlin (1:56.67) of Harvard, and Liza Whitmire (1:56.93) of Princeton in close pursuit.

Grace Black and Isabella Korbly, both representing Princeton, rounded out the top eight with 1:57 swims.

WOMEN’S 100 FREESTYLE – PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 45.56 – Simone Manuel, Stanford (2017)
• Ivy League Record: 47.32 – Iszak Henig, Yale (2022)
• Ivy Championships Record: 47.63 – Lia Thomas, Penn (2022)
• 2024 NCAA ‘A’ Standard: 47.18
• 2023 NCAA Invited Time: 48.37

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Sabrina Johnston (PRIN) – 48.39
2. Morgan Lukinac (BROWN) – 48.83
3. Ela Noble (PRIN) – 48.86
4. Ellie Marquardt (PRIN) – 49.29
5. Lillian Klinginsmith (BROWN) – 49.65
6. Priscilla Wongso (CORN) – 49.66
7. Mandy Brenner (HARV) – 49.72
8. Kelly Dolce (BROWN) – 49.90

A fun battle is set for tonight’s 100 free, where 50 free champion Sabrina Johnston will go head-to-head with 200 free gold medalist Morgan Lukinac. Princeton’s Johnston clocked the fastest time of the morning at 48.39, but Brown’s Lukinac posted a sub-49 effort of 48.83 to sit in 2nd position.

Brown and Princeton both advanced three swimmers, with 49.90 being the cut-off for the championship final. Anyone who broke the elusive 50-second barrier qualified, with 50.03 sitting 9th.

Princeton’s Ela Noble (48.86) was the only other swimmer in the field under 49, and she ranks 3rd heading into tonight. Teammate Ellie Marquardt posting a time of 49.29 earn lane six, giving the Tigers three of the top four qualification spots.

Lillian Klinginsmith (49.65), Priscilla Wongso (49.66), Mandy Brenner (49.72), and Kelly Dolce (49.90) comprise the final four qualifiers.

WOMEN’S 200 BREASTSTROKE – PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 2:01.29 – Kate Douglass, Virginia (2023)
• Ivy League Record: 2:08.00 – Katie Meili, Columbia (2013)
• Ivy Championships Record: 2:08.47 – Jaycee Yegher, Harvard (2020)
• 2024 NCAA ‘A’ Standard: 2:05.73
• 2023 NCAA Invited Time: 2:09.68

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Dakota Tucker (PRIN) – 2:10.61
2. Ava Franks (YALE) – 2:12.64
3. Eliza Brown (PRIN) – 2:12.73
4. Jessey Li (YALE) – 2:14.46
5. Catherine Yu (BROWN) – 2:14.59
6. Amie Barrow (BROWN) – 2:14.87
7. Aleksandra Denisenko (HARV) – 2:15.20
8. Stephanie Iannaccone (HARV) – 2:15.43

After winning the 200 and 400 IM races already, Princeton’s Dakota Tucker is on track for her third individual title. She checked-in at 2:10.61 to lead the 200 breast prelims, situating herself more than two seconds ahead of everyone else.

Tucker’s teammate, Eliza Brown, clocked 2:12.73 to sit 3rd overall. Yale’s Ava Franks posted a time of 2:12.64 to advance 2nd, which was 0.09 faster than the time from Brown. Franks’ teammate, Jessey Li, led a trio of 2:14 swims to qualify 4th. Brown teammates Catherine Yu (2:14.59) and Amie Barrow (2:14.87) were the other two in the 2:14-sector, moving through in 5th and 6th.

Harvard teammates Aleksandra Denisenko (2:15.20) and Stephanie Iannaccone (2:15.43) were 7th and 8th this morning, and will swim in lanes one and eight tonight.

WOMEN’S 200 BUTTERFLY – PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 1:49.16 – Alex Walsh, Virginia (2024)
• Ivy League Record: 1:54.49 – Alex Forrester, Yale (2013)
• Ivy Championships Record: 1:54.60 – Alex Forrester, Yale (2013)
• 2024 NCAA ‘A’ Standard: 1:52.86
• 2023 NCAA Invited Time: 1:55.92

Top 8 Qualifiers:

1. Heidi Smithwick (PRIN) – 1:55.96
2. Zehra Bilgin (BROWN) – 1:57.07
3. Eleanor Sun (PRIN) – 1:57.34
4. Lilly Derivaux (YALE) – 1:58.51
5. Sydney Lu (HARV) – 1:58.74
6. Alex Massey (YALE) – 1:58.93
7. Junseo Kim (YALE) – 1:59.38
8. Katie Yee (CORN) – 1:59.51

After a 3rd place showing in yesterday’s 100 fly, Princeton’s Heidi Smithwick claimed the top spot in the 200 fly prelims. Hitting the wall in 1:55.96, she leads the field by over a second heading into the final. Eleanor Sun, her freshman teammate, was 3rd this morning and will join her in tonight’s A-final. Brown’s Zehra Bilgin situated herself between the two teammates, ranking 2nd at 1:57.07.

Yale had a great showing in this event, with three swimmers earning A-final status. Lilly Derivaux (1:58.51) sits 4th with teammates Alex Massey (1:58.93) and Junseo Kim (1:59.38) ranking 6th and 7th.

Harvard’s Sydney Lu, who was the runner-up in yesterday’s 100 fly, posted a time of 1:58.74 to rank 5th. Cornell’s Katie Yee was the final qualifier, posting 1:59.51.