Cornell University women’s swimming and diving team hosted the Columbia Lions on Friday at Teagle Hall. Overall the meet was fairly evenly-matched. The two teams split the diving events and the two relays before the Big Red went on to win 8 of 12 individual events. In the end, Cornell outscored their guests, 171.5-128.5. Final Results.
The Lions’ medley relay (Salena Huang-26.98, Jennifer Shahar-28.52, Christina Ray-23.90, and Kate O’Rourke-23.47) got things going with a 1:42.87 win, missing the pool record by 18/100. Cornell’s second-place 1:44.27 was their best effort of the season so far by more than four seconds.
Cornell 1000 free record-holder Currie Murch Elliott put the Big Red on the board with her second-best time of the season, a rapid 10:06.96. She later put up a 4:56.93 to win the 500 free in her fastest swim so far this year.
Columbia freshman Cristi Frias stepped up with a win in the 200 free, taking a half-second off her seed time with 1:52.29. Second place went to Cornell sophomore Anna Elling, who nearly succeeded in overcoming a 2-second deficit at the 150. Elling finished second with 1:52.54, but her splits looked painful: she came home in 26.88, a half-second faster than she went out, and that included a start.
Both backstroke events went to Cornell freshman Tessa Wilson in by far her best performances so far. Wilson won the 100 back in 56.48, 3.2 seconds faster than her seed, and the 200 in 2:03.43. Teammate Billy Murch Elliott touched second in the latter with 2:03.73.
Columbia sophomore Shahar claimed victory in the 100 breast with 1:04.17, a second in front of Cornell senior Meredith Drummond. Drummond later won the 200 breast (2:18.73) and 200 IM (2:05.03), in her fastest times to date. Touching second in both races was Columbia’s Kristine Ng.
Columbia junior Ray won both butterflies. Her 200 time of 2:02.00 topped her previous season best by 7.3 seconds and was 1.8 faster than that of second-place Ng. Ray then went on to take the 100 in a lifetime-best 53.43, crushing the Teagle Hall Pool record of 54.02.
The much-decorated junior Jenna Immormino won a pair of sprint freestyle races for the Big Red. In the 50, she touched first with 23.58 ahead of teammate Cari Stankaitis (23.97). Later she went 50.65 to win the 100, again in front of Stankaitis (51.93).
Cornell senior Bianca Herlitz-Ferguson won the 3-meter diving with276.45 points, while Columbia freshman Gabby Ramil edged Herlitz-Ferguson in the 1-meter with 262.94 points.
The meet closed with a new pool record in the 400 free relay from Cornell’s Stankaitis, Jennifer Zhang, Chandra Yueh and Immormino whose 3:26.60, lowered the old mark by .07.