Reduced M. Swimming Squad Takes Third at ECACs

Traveling with fewer swimmers than usual did not prevent the Harvard men’s swimming and diving team from a strong finish in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Open Swimming and Diving Championships this weekend. The Crimson, propelled by strong performances on the final day of competition, placed third in the event behind Rider and Marist.

While up to 17 swimmers per school were allowed to compete, Harvard sent only 12 to this year’s Championships, which were held at the University of Pittsburgh. After two days of competition, the Crimson (8-0, 8-0 EISL) was in fifth place. However, a number of sound performances on Sunday, which team members attributed to having less down time between races, helped the team rise in the standings.

“Across the board, we brought a lot of energy to the pool,” senior Brian Zingale said. “We had nine swims [yesterday], which made us more competitive as the meet went on.”

Friday, the first day of the championships, featured two top-three finishes in relays, as the Crimson placed second in the 400-yard medley relay with a time of 3:25.93 and placed third in the 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 1:24.29. Zingale, who swam in both relays, also placed fourth in the 500-yard freestyle.

On Saturday, the Crimson swam in more individual than relay events. Zingale continued to perform well, placing second in the 100-yard butterfly, while freshman James Bailey finished second in the 200-yard freestyle. Freshman Michael Bowen and sophomore Brian Fiske reached the A-finals in their events, finishing sixth in the 400-yard IM and seventh in the 100-yard breaststroke, respectively.

The team was at its strongest yesterday, as two swimmers from Harvard placed in the top three in the 100-yard freestyle and the team took third in the 400-yard freestyle relay. Zingale and Bailey, who raced at 46.15 and 46.30 seconds, garnered critical points for the Crimson. Junior John Hastrup won fourth place in the 1,650-yard freestyle and Fiske placed seventh in the 200-yard breaststroke. These results contributed to the Crimson’s rise in the standings from fifth place to fourth place.

The 400-yard freestyle relay, the final event of the meet, proved to be the most critical. Trailing Johns Hopkins University by a handful of points, the Crimson, led by Zingale, Bailey, and sophomores Patrick Morrissey and Alex Paddington, needed to place high in the relay to secure third overall. The team did just that, capturing third with a time of 3:06.19. Harvard, with a point total of 341.5, edged Seton Hall University by a mere 1.5 points and Johns Hopkins by 3.5 points.

“It was an exciting relay,” Fiske said. “We knew we were close in points and would come out well.”

“Everyone stepped up and had splits that were better than some race times,” Zingale added. “We performed much better than expected.”

Harvard was one of four Ivy League schools to compete at the ECACs—Columbia, Yale, and the University of Pennsylvania were also present. The point spread between Harvard and the other Ivies was quite large. Columbia’s point total of 281 was closest to Harvard’s, as the Lions finished eighth. Yale finished 10th with 207.5 points and Penn, with 78 points, placed 13th.

Up next for the Crimson are the Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming League (EISL) Championships, which will be held at Harvard’s Blodgett Pool on March 3-5. After its finish at the ECACs, the team is optimistic about its chances.

“The team is on the right track,” Zingale said. “If our performance [this weekend] is any indication, the team will do well next week.”