Swim and Dive Programs Open New Year at Brown

Saturday, January 15

Providence, RI

12:00 PM

Columbia University

Brown

Photo by: Columbia University Athletics/Mike McLaughlin

1/4/2022 1:08:00 PM | Men's Swimming and Diving, Women's Swimming and Diving

Watch live (ESPN+)

Columbia will dive into 2022 at Ivy League opponent.

NEW YORK -- The Columbia men's and women's swim and dive programs will travel to Providence, RI on Saturday for a noon matchup against league-rival Brown. The contest will mark the first competition of 2022 for both Columbia programs.

Fans can follow the meet live on ESPN+.

Columbia's women come off a 2021 campaign which saw the Lions claim the ECAC Winter Swim & Dive Championships in early December. Numerous athletes set meet records throughout the three day competition including rookie standout Aziza Ganihanova who shattered standing best results in both the 200 and 500 free. Also setting individual records were senior captain Mary Pruden (400 IM), sophomore Callie Breiter (200 free), and senior Emily Wang (100 butterfly). Columbia set new meet records in a pair of relay events, the 200 and 800 free relays. First-year Julia Unas was named Swimmer of the Meet.

Brown returns to the pool after a victorious outing at the host team's Bruno Invite. Individual first place finishers included rookies Sara Barrett (500 & 1650 free), Jenna Reznicek (100 back) and Anna Podurgiel (200 free), sophomore Samantha Scott (50 & 100 free), junior Neil Chidley (100 & 200 butterfly).

The Bears took down Dartmouth in the program's season opener, besting the Big Green 201.50-96.50. Throughout November, Brown fell to fellow Ivy League contenders Princeton (105-192), Penn (121-179), and Yale (84-216). On January 4th, Harvard knocked off Brown 203-97.

The men's team returns from an impressive outing at December's Big Al Invitational, hosted by Princeton University. Senior Jonas Kistorp set a new meet record in the 50 free on the first day of competition before rookie Demirkan Demir set a program record in the 200 breast on the third day.

The Brown men joined the women with a first place result at the Bruno Invite highlighted by first place finishes by senior Horace Qiao (50 free), junior Lukas Scheidl (400 IM), and freshman Zach Le-Nguyen (100 back). In the first half of the season, the Bears defeated the Ivy League's Dartmouth (237-59) and Yale (174-126) while falling to Princeton (203-97) and Penn (152-148).

Scott Donie's divers look to build upon a successful first half of season, which concluded at Big Al for both the men and women. Junior Jonathan Suckow enters Saturday undefeated this season after claiming the top spot in every event he has entered thus far. Classmate Nick Leavell earned sixth and tenth place finishes off the one and three meter boards, respectively, after qualifying for the finals in both events as one of the meet's top 12 divers. The duo will face a Brown team led by senior Trevor Ladbuda whose first place finish in the one meter dive at Bruno set a new program record (355.43).

Rookie Macy Pine led Columbia's female divers with a fifth place result in the platform event, followed by seniors Michelle Lee in ninth and Briget Rosendahl in 19th. Brown is paced by divers Julia Feord and Liv Mitchell who went one-two in both the three and one meter dives at the Bruno Invitational.

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