Women’s Swim and Dive Kicks Ivy Season Off With a Win Against Cornell and a Loss to Penn

The Harvard women’s swim and dive team (1-1 Ivy League) journeyed to Ithaca, N.Y., this weekend to compete in a dual meet against Cornell and Penn. Though the Crimson broke four pool records at Teagle Pool and handily secured second and third place in both diving events, it ultimately split the meet, beating the Big Red 198-102 and falling to the Quakers 166-134.

Swim captains Isabella Alas and Blythe Wieclawek said the results were not what they were hoping for, but have given the team important areas to improve on for the rest of the season.

“We had freshmen who are developing and getting used to college swimming, and it was a really great opportunity to support each other. And now we’re sort of just going back and implementing what we learn, so that we can come back stronger for the next meet,” Wieclawek said.

To reduce travel across the Ivy League, the teams have largely shifted to three-way meets instead of the frequent dual meets of years past, resulting in divers competing on Friday, the day before the swimmers. Junior diving captain Sam Holtz said that although the new schedule reinforced a separation between the swim and dive athletes on the team, she was able to grow closer to her peers on the springboard.

“So it was a really fun time to just bond with the diving team, get some good quality time together, compete our best, and then be able to cheer on the [men’s] swimmers the next day,” Holtz said.

Harvard had a strong showing on the diving board Friday. Though Penn sophomore Rachel Yang swept the gold in 1-meter and 3-meter diving, Holtz took home silver in the 1-meter and bronze in the 3-meter. The Crimson’s senior Christina Shi earned second place in 3-meter, and junior Ennika Carlson scored third in 1-meter. Holtz said this performance marked a promising start for the rest of the season.

“I think being in an environment like Harvard, it’s very easy to get overwhelmed with all the schoolwork and all the clubs and everything,” Holtz said. “And so just really getting to know the freshmen better, getting to know my own class even better, and just being able to kind of approach each meet as one collective group — I think that’s definitely one of the goals, just to be very cohesive this season, and rely on each other, and build these lifetime bonds.”

In Saturday’s first event, Harvard’s 200-yard medley relay team eked out a victory by 0.05 seconds against Penn, breaking a pool record in the process. Alas and Wieclawek, junior Kiley Wilhelm, and sophomore Aliana Marakovic finished the nail-biting race with a time of 1:39.29.

Marakovic also broke an individual pool record in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:13.28, over three seconds faster than Quaker junior Meredith Holcomb. Marakovic also claimed the top slot in the 100-yard breaststroke.

Crimson sophomore Carolina Daher earned first place in the 200-yard and 500-yard freestyle races by over two seconds and over four seconds, respectively, entering her name into the Teagle Pool record book for both events. Hazel Mouhidin continued the Harvard sophomores’ speedy performances, winning the 200-yard butterfly in 1:58.27.

Bookending the meet, the Crimson’s Alas, Wieclawek, Daher, and sophomore Sarah Beckman took home the 400-yard freestyle title. Wieclawek said the energy during relays at Cornell is especially exhilarating.

“Relays are a really great opportunity for the team to come together,” Wieclawek said. “It’s really nice swimming with a group of girls at the same time, and because of the way that Cornell’s pool is set up, it’s a very small pool. It’s a very loud pool, and so it’s pretty electric at the end, when you get the win on a touchout. And I think it really bolstered our energy, and it was really great to end the meet on a high note and also open it on a high note.”

Every season, the swim team chooses a motto to stick to throughout the season. This year, the phrase is “stay hungry,” encouraging the team to remain ambitious with its goal setting.

“Every meet, every practice that we go to, we’re just hungry and being brave and having fun every step of the way,” Alas said.

Holtz said, too, that diving coach Tracey Bird’s theme for the season is “showing up.” She interprets this motto in a two-fold way, and is excited for the team to commit to it throughout the rest of its competition season.

“I think, one, just showing up to practice, ready to compete, leaving your schoolwork and your stress of the day behind, and just being very present when you’re at practice,” Holtz said. “But also, just showing up for yourself and for others, being that good teammate, and also taking care of yourself and outside the pool, so that you can give your best to your teammates.”

Looking ahead, the Crimson will compete in a three-way meet at home in Blodgett Pool against Columbia and Brown on Saturday, Nov. 14. Alas said she is eager for the team to keep growing.

“I think obviously the results weren’t exactly what we wanted, but I think that everyone did a really good job, and there were a lot of good things that came out of it. A lot of bad things. A lot of things that we can work on, and I think that this is just good for us to learn from — good data for us moving forward,” Alas said.

—Staff Writer Avani I. Shah-Lipman can be reached at [email protected].