Lions Earn Ivy League Victory Over Cornell, 164-136

Sunday, January 13

Ithaca, N.Y.

11 a.m.

Columbia

164

136

Cornell

Photo by: Columbia University Athletics/Mike McLaughlin

Lions Earn Ivy League Victory Over Cornell, 164-136

1/13/2019 3:42:00 PM | Men's Swimming and Diving

Results (PDF)2018-19 Schedule

Columbia earned its first Ivy League victory of the season, defeating Cornell on Sunday at Teagle Pool

ITHACA, N.Y. — The Columbia men's swimming and diving team earned its first Ivy League dual meet win of the season on Sunday afternoon, taking down Cornell, 164-132, at Teagle Pool in Ithaca, New York.

With the win, the Lions move to 2-4 overall, while Cornell falls to 1-4.

"It's always hard to predict how the guys will perform coming off a training trip. In a meet like this, the focus is more on just winning the races, not so much the times, and we were able to do that well today as we won 11 of the 16 events," said Columbia head coach Jim Bolster. "It was nice to wrap up the win early on so that we could give the guys a little rest to get ready for the upcoming meets. Very happy with the team performance."

Once again, sophomore diver Jonathan Suckow got things moving in the right direction for the Lions, setting a new Teagle Pool record on 3-meter with a score of 399.22. He went on to claim the 1-meter title as well at 339.29, sweeping the springboard events for the fifth time this season.

"This was a good start to 2019 for the divers," said diving coach Scott Donie. "We will get right back to work as we prepare to face Brown at home next weekend."

Suckow's win combined with a victory in the 200 medley relay put the Lions ahead early on in the contest. Junior Cole Stevens, junior Nian-Guo Liu, first-year Jonas Kistorp and sophomore Albert Gwo took the opening relay in 1:30.44.

Columbia lengthened its lead, taking the top spot in each of the first three individual swimming events. Senior Brian Tsau opened things up by taking the 1,000-yard freestyle in 9:36.89. Tsau earned his second win of the day during the second half of the meet, going 4:26.92 in the 500 free.

Liu earned two event victories on the day, taking both the 200 free (1:38.71) and the 100 free (45.10).

Sweeping the backstroke events, Stevens also earned a pair of individual wins going 50.06 in the 100 backstroke before leading the Lions in a 1-2-3 sweep of the 200 back. Stevens touched in at 1:51.08, ahead of first-year Joey Licht (1:51.58) and sophomore Joe Skimmons (1:52.07).

Cornell earned its first event win of the day in the 100 breaststroke, with senior Pearce Kieser earning the Lions' top finish in the event, placing third in 58.96.

Junior Zac Pear quickly helped the Lions regain momentum, winning the 200 butterfly in 1:51.98. Senior Shane Brett was third in the event, coming into the wall in 1:52.52.

In his signature event, Gwo took the top spot in the 50 free with a time of 20.42. The Lions fared well overall in the race, with Kistorp finishing third (21.06) and sophomore Kevin Dang taking fourth (21.34). Gwo also placed second in the 100 free with a time of 46.13.

The Big Red earned wins in four the last five events, but Columbia's early momentum helped the Lions maintain the lead and earn the overall team victory.

Columbia returns home Saturday, Jan. 19 to take on Brown inside Percy Uris Natatorium. The meet will mark the first of a three-meet home stand for the Lions.

For the latest on the Columbia men's swimming and diving program, follow @ColumbiaMenSwim on Twitter, @ColumbiaMenSwimming and @ColumbiaDiving on Instagram, and on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.