Columbia edges out Brown in close competition

The Columbia women’s swimming and diving team achieved their second Ivy League win in a row this Saturday, beating Brown 163-137 at the annual Homecoming meet. With the win, the Lions gained a winning record of 4-3 overall and improved to 2-3 in the league.

Starting off strong, the Light Blue swept the 3-meter diving event, with junior Stephanie Foster taking first and freshmen Kathleen Furr and Liana Diamond placing second and third, respectively. Although Brown was able to answer back with a first-place finish in the 200 medley relay, Columbia took second and third in the relay to match the pace.

In the 200 free, Maggie D’Arcy placed first for the Lions in 1:57.75 while Ashley Maclean took third. Continuing to gain points for the Light Blue was Alena Kluge, who finished first in the 100 backstroke, while her teammates Katie Meili and Annie Perizzolo went 1-2 in the 100 breast.

Brown kept up however, taking the top spots in the next two events, but Columbia’s divers once again kept the score close by claiming first and second place in the 1-meter competition.

During the second half of the meet, Columbia sophomore Kristina Parsons took first in the 100 butterfly in 56.97 and Meili placed second in the 100 free. In the 200 back, Isabelle Vandenbroucke and Grace Senko earned second and third, respectively, while Mariele Dunn and Perizzolo went 2-3 in the 200 breast event as well.

To finish up the meet, the Lions earned first place in the 400 free relay through the efforts of Maclean, Meili, Vandenbroucke, and Lacey Harris-Coble.

Next up, the Lions will host the Princeton Tigers at Uris Pool on Friday, Feb. 4 at 6 p.m.