For the first time in the last seven seasons, the Big Green won two dual meets against Ivy League opponents, beating Brown University and Cornell University to post an overall 2-5 Ivy record. Coupled with dual meet wins over Bryant University and the University of Massachusetts, the men's team is a force to be reckoned with at Princeton this weekend.
Dartmouth will send 17 swimmers to the Championships, including co-captains Michael Ahern '12 and Matt Stumpf '12. Dartmouth will also send three divers to the meet, including Ryan Shelley '15, who has qualified for the NCAA Zone Championship as well.
At the Championships, the Big Green will welcome back Nejc Zupan '14 to the squad. Zupan won Ivy League titles in both the 1,000-meter freestyle as well as the 1,650-meter freestyle as a freshman last year. The first Dartmouth swimmer in history to win these events, he set new school records for both. Zupan was injured during the second half of the season this year, but judging from his wins earlier in the season against Brown, Harvard University and Cornell in the 1,000-meter freestyle event, he stands to gain a great deal of points for the Big Green this weekend.
"Nejc unfortunately broke his thumb this winter," Stumpf said. "Being an endurance swimmer who excels in long distance events, a long-term injury took away from his ability to train effectively. That being said, he is an excellent swimmer and should post some great times this weekend."
Stumpf, who is is competing in three events at Princeton and made the A finals in the 100-meter breast stroke last year, said the team is training in preparation for the finals.
"End of the year training is very different from what we do in the beginning of the season," Stumpf said. "We taper a ton for the Ivies. Usually the distance guys do a few tougher practices to keep their endurance up, while the sprinters may taper a little bit longer. Ultimately the goal is get you feeling fresh and as technically sound as you can be on race day."
Stumpf also highlighted two junior swimmers who have been a big part of Dartmouth's success this season sprinter Will Derdeyn '13 and mid-distance swimmer Albert Roth '13.
"Will and Albert have been really consistent all season and have contributed greatly to our team's accomplishments," he said. "Expect them to do great this weekend as well."
This year's squad is evenly split between 10 upperclassmen and 10 underclassmen. The abundance of underclassmen competing in the Championships is a positive sign for Dartmouth swimming in years to come.
Since 1973, either Princeton or Harvard has won the Ivy League championship every year. Princeton and Harvard are ranked first and second, respectively, going into this weekend. Dartmouth is ranked No. 21 in the latest CollegeSwimming.com Mid-Major poll, and it boasts the sixth best dual meet record among the Ivy League schools.
Over four years, Stumpf said he has seen Dartmouth's swimming program improve by leaps and bounds.
"The team has improved in every metric since I got here as a freshman," he said. "I know that this current team is capable of great things and my experience with the guys on the team has been outstanding."
