The Lions (4-1, 3-1 Ivy) trailed by three points, 143-140, entering the 200 freestyle relay, the 16th and final event of the evening. Whichever team took first in the 200 free would win the meet.
The Quakers (4-2, 1-2 Ivy) led after the first, second and third legs. McCue began the anchor leg with Columbia 0.23 seconds behind Penn. However the Columbia College junior swam a split of 23.74 to 24.01 for Laura Hotaling of Penn. McCue touched 0.04 seconds ahead of Hotaling in 1:37.94 to 1:37.98.
"Mary is the kind of person who comes through in the clutch," noted head swimming coach Diana Caskey. "She likes to chase people down."
Penn had led the meet by as many as 14 points, 101-87, after the Quakers finished first and second in the 200 back with six events to go.
However, Columbia's divers turned in a one-two-three sweep of the three-meter diving four events later to turn a five-point deficit into a 136-128 Lion lead. First-years Shannon Hosey (CC), Joanna Corby (CC) and Melissa McCrady (CC) finished first (242.48), second (225.83) and third (212.40), respectively, in the six-competitor event.
"It was overdue, since our first-year divers had been working really hard," explained head diving coach Gordon Spencer of the divers' performance. "They really hadn't been in the money. Tonight was a great time for that to happen. It was a great team effort."
The Quakers opened the meet with a win in the 200 medley relay; the Lions' top foursome was disqualified following a false start, giving Penn a quick 13-4 lead.
Junior Lauren Morford (CC) responded by winning in the 1000 free in 10:18.30, 2.10 seconds ahead of Penn's top finisher.
First-year Hannah Galey (CC) won the 200 free in 1:52.87, followed by classmate Casey Weddle (CC) in 1:55.70. Galey would later take second in the 100 free in 53.21, behind only McCue, who won in 52.77.
Sophomore Amy Krakauer (CC) swept both breaststroke events. She was first in the 100 in 1:05.46, then won the 200 in 2:21.96.
McCue had yet another triumph in the 50 free, as her time of 24.41 was 0.24 seconds quicker than Hotaling.
Penn's Janis Scanlon won the one-meter diving with a score of 254.40, but sophomore Juliet DeFrancisco (CC), who had been ill since Thanksgiving, finished in second in 242.18 and Hosey was third.
Following the Quakers' one-two finish in the 200 back in event 10, the Lions would take first in five of the final six events. Morford had her second victory in the 500 free in 5:06.27. Junior Kelly McConnell (CC) won the 100 fly in 58.97 and Weddle took third.
The 200 individual medley posed a problem for the Lions, as first-year standout Rachel Coburn was unable to compete due to illness. Caskey opted to place Galey, a freestyler, in the event, which would make her ineligible for the final relay.
"It was risky," said Caskey.
The risk paid off, as Galey surged late in the race to take third and prevent a Quaker sweep of the event, keeping the Lions within three points entering the 200 free relay.
The Lions had finished ahead of Penn at the 2004 Ivy League Championships; however, the Quakers had edged Columbia in both the dual meet and the Ivy League Championships in the 2004-05 season.
Columbia's divers are back in action at the Rutgers Invitational this weekend, but the swimmers will not compete again until Sat., Dec. 10 at Wagner.
