NEW HAVEN, Conn. – No. 22 Harvard University men's swimming and diving won seven events to take leads against both Princeton University and Yale University on day one of the annual Harvard-Yale-Princeton meet on Saturday at the Bulldogs' Yale Exhibition Pool.
At the halfway point of the meet, the Crimson (6-1, 5-0 Ivy) holds a 136-50 lead over Yale (4-2, 3-2 Ivy) and a 118-68 advantage over Princeton (6-0, 5-0 Ivy). Harvard added five second-place showings and five third-place finishes to its seven event wins.
The Crimson totaled 12 NCAA B cut swims and set four pool records on the day. The team's event wins included first-year
Adam Wesson (1-meter), the 200 free relay, senior
Dean Farris (200 free), sophomore
Will Grant (100 back), junior
Jared Simpson (100 breast), senior
Raphael Marcoux (50 free), and the 400 medley relay.
Harvard's NCAA B cut marks included Farris (200 free), first-year
Ben Littlejohn (200 free), Grant (100 back), first-year
Anthony Rincon (100 back), senior
Jake Johnson (200 fly), senior
Michael Zarian (200 fly), the 400 medley relay, and five swimmers in the 1650 free – first-year
Shane Washart, junior
Simon Lamar, sophomore
Cole Kuster, sophomore
Noah Brune, and first-year
Arik Katz.
Farris (200 free), Grant (100 back), Simpson (100 breast), and the 400 medley relay all set pool records.
Harvard Highlights
- First-year Adam Wesson won the 1-meter diving event with a 344.05, eclipsing the NCAA standard of 300.
- Senior Dean Farris captured the 200-yard freestyle with an NCAA B cut time of 1:33.60 for a pool record and season best. First-year Ben Littlejohn followed in third with an NCAA B cut time of 1:36.14. Both swimmers beat the NCAA B standard of 1:36.32.
- Sophomore Will Grant claimed first in the 100-yard backstroke with an NCAA B cut time of 47.23 for a pool record. First-year Anthony Rincon also swam an NCAA B cut time with a 47.57 for second place. Each student-athlete eclipsed the NCAA B standard of 47.77.
- Junior Jared Simpson took the 100-yard breaststroke with a pool-record and season-best swim of 53.48. First-year Quinn Harron came in second with a 54.24.
- Senior Raphael Marcoux won the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 19.99, coming within 0.03 of the NCAA B cut time of 19.96, while senior Mahlon Reihman placed third with a 20.06.
- Closing day one, the Crimson took the 400-yard medley relay as the quartet of senior Dean Farris, junior Jared Simpson, junior Umitcan Gures, and sophomore Marcus Holmquist recorded an NCAA B cut time of 3:07.34 for a pool record and season best. The group topped the NCAA B standard of 3:07.53. The Crimson's B relay of sophomore Will Grant, first-year Quinn Harron, senior Michael Zarian, and senior Mahlon Reihman placed third in 3:12.11, topping Yale's A relay and coming within 0.26 seconds of Princeton's A relay.
- Opening the day's swimming events. Harvard won the 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 1:18.67 from the group of senior Raphael Marcoux, junior Umitcan Gures, senior Mahlon Reihman, and junior Ryan Linnihan.
- In the 200-yard butterfly, senior Jake Johnson placed second with an NCAA B cut time of 1:44.90, and senior Michael Zarian finished third with an NCAA B cut time of 1:45.72. Both bested the NCAA B mark of 1:46.69.
- In the 200-yard individual medley, sophomore Will Grant came in second with a 1:47.28, and senior Michael Zarian placed third in 1:47.35.
- In the 1650-yard freestyle, first-year Shane Washart placed second with an NCAA B cut time of 15:09.42. Junior Simon Lamar (15:15.70), sophomore Cole Kuster (15:18.02), sophomore Noah Brune (15:19.88), and first-year Arik Katz (15:20.07) all joined Washart with NCAA B cut times, beating the standard of 15:26.19.
Next Up
Harvard continues competition at the H-Y-P meet tomorrow – Sunday, Jan. 30. Competition begins with 3-meter diving at 9:30 a.m. Swimming events start at 12:05 p.m. with the 200 medley relay, 400 IM, 100 free, 200 backstroke, 100 butterfly, 500 free, 200 breaststroke, and 400 free relay.
