Columbia University
Big Al Invite
Men's Swimming and Diving in Second Place after Second Day of Big Al Invite
12/4/2025 10:00:00 PM | Men's Swimming and Diving
Zion James, Isaac Beers and Derek Hitchens win individual events
PRINCETON, N.J. – The Columbia men's swimming and diving team traveled to New Jersey this weekend to take part in the Big Al Invitational hosted by Princeton. After the second day of competition, the Lions sit in second place with 794.50 points. Princeton sits in first place, scoring 1039.50 points.
Full results from the entire competition can be found HERE. A recap from each day of the event can be found below.
DAY ONE
The 200 free relay team got things started with a second place finish. Zion James, Samuel Eckert, Kyle Won, and Adam Wu clocked in at 1:18.71.
In the first individual event of the day, Beri Yang (24.96) and Josh Corn (24.98) went 3-4 in the 50 breast.
First Year Derek Hitchens picked up the Lions' first win of the competition, taking first in the 50 back with a time of 21.90.
James also picked up a win in the 50 free, touching the wall first at 19.49.
Full results from Day One can be found HERE.
DAY TWO
Isaac Beers, Eckert, Brian Lee, and James got things started on day two with a third place finish in the 200 medley relay, clocking in at 1:27.09.
In the first individual event of the day, Jerry Yan took fourth in the 100 fly with a time of 47.80.
Beers went on to secure a win for the Lions in the 100 back, touching the wall first with a time of 46.65.
Full results from Day Two can be found HERE.
DIVING
Meanwhile, on day one the men's divers competed in the 1m finals and Joseph Nicol had an impressive fourth place finish with a score of 295.95. Will Cooley took eighth with a score of 248.50.
On day two, Nicol finished seventh on the 3m boards with a score of 287.45. Cooley won the B finals with a score of 312.25.
"Joe fought hard but unfortunately didn't find his rhythm until the final round," Head Diving Coach Scott Donie said. "We will be looking to bounce back in the second half of the season."
ON DECK
Following this weekend, the Lions will take a break for the holidays before returning to action on January 17 against Brown in Rhode Island. This meet is scheduled to begin at noon.
For the latest on the Columbia men's swimming and diving program, follow @CULionsMSD and @CULionsDiving on Instagram and Twitter, and on the web at GoColumbiaLions.com.
Players Mentioned
