Yale Athletics

In a well-fought meet with several new pool and school records, the Bulldogs fell to the Tigers (178-121) and Crimson (170-129) at the Harvard, Yale and Princeton tri-meet from Jan. 31 to Feb. 1. Although the meet concluded the Bulldogs’ undefeated record so far this season, it served as an exciting final home race before the Ivy Championship, which will be held in Providence, Rhode Island, from Feb. 19 to Feb. 22.  

The HYP meet was by far the most populated home meet of the season, and the clash between three of the strongest swim teams in the league set the stage for a thrilling two days. Not only did parents, friends and fans of current swimmers and divers fill the stands, but numerous Yale swim and dive alumni also came to cheer on the Bulldogs. 

“The energy on deck was unlike any of the other meets we’ve had and getting to experience it at our home pool was so special,” Morgan Cady ’28 told the News. 

Amidst all the excitement, the HYP was a bittersweet moment — it being the last-ever home meet for the team’s seniors. The team’s pre-meet ritual included a dedication to each seasoned pool vet, celebrated individually for their contributions to the team. All the team members formed a human tunnel, and each senior ran through, cheered on by the crowd. 

“The seniors have poured their hearts and souls into our team for four years, and to be able to have a moment to say thank you for their efforts, energy and time that they spent for this program was really special,” Jessey Li ’26 told the News. 

The adrenaline rush of such a crowded meet and the Bulldogs’ strong training resulted in outstanding successes. Starting off strong, the Elis placed top two in the 3-meter dive event. Paige Lai ’26 clinched first with a commanding score of 317.40 and Hayden Henderson ’25 came in second, (298.70) edging out third place by just over a point. The duo also clinched two of the top three spots in the 1-meter dive event, with Henderson (293.15) taking second and Lai (275.3) taking third. 

In the 200-yard backstroke, Mabel Koff’s ’28 lightning finish of 1:54.95 was not only enough to touch the wall first by over a second, but also set a new school and pool record. Koff also clinched second in the 200 IM event with a new personal-best time of 2:00.05, edging out third place by just two-tenths of a second. 

“I loved seeing my friends, my dad, other parents and alumni in the stands. Having a whole crowd behind us motivated all of us to swim as fast as we could,” said Koff. 

Next week, the Bulldogs will travel to Providence for the Ivy Championship. A pinnacle sporting event for the team, the Championship will be attended by hundreds of athletes from all eight Ivies. 

As the Bulldogs now look forward to this behemoth four-day event, they are determined to carry the same energy and momentum into the biggest swim meet yet. Several team members pointed to cheering each other on as one of the most exciting parts of the championship. 

“We love to line the side of the pool, so it’s kind of like a tunnel again, where each swimmer walks in between us, and we’ll cheer and scream so loud. There’s nothing like it,” Li told the News. “The racing is obviously really intense, but the energy and how excited we get for each other and each other’s races is what makes it so fun.”

The Ivy Championship promises to be a defining moment for the Bulldogs, as the swimmers get to reap the fruits of their hundreds of hours of practices and prior meets. 

Although training will be toned down to give the athletes time to build up their maximal performance, the team is excited to see what they can do after the intensive six-day, over 20-hour training weeks during the season. 

“I think we are all so excited for Ivies. We have been putting in some really hard work this whole season and have already had so many amazing performances at the in-season meets, so the Ivy Championship is definitely going to see some great swims,” Cady wrote to the News. 

The last time the Bulldogs brought home the women’s Ivy Championship was in 2017.