The Columbia men’s swimming and diving team is in second place after the first day of the Big Al Invitational, held at Princeton University in New Jersey. The Lions have accumulated 414.50 points, trailing host Princeton, which leads with 505.50 points.
The competition began with the 200 free relay, where Columbia’s team—composed of Zion James, Samuel Eckert, Kyle Won, and Adam Wu—finished second with a time of 1:18.71.
In individual events, Beri Yang and Josh Corn placed third and fourth respectively in the 50 breaststroke. First-year swimmer Derek Hitchens secured Columbia’s first win of the meet by finishing first in the 50 backstroke with a time of 21.90 seconds. Zion James also claimed victory in the 50 freestyle, recording a time of 19.49 seconds.
Head Coach Jim Bolster commented on the team’s performance: “Tomorrow’s action begins at 10am and we are looking to add to our strong start of today.”
In diving events, Joseph Nicol finished fourth in the men’s one-meter finals with a score of 295.95 points, while Will Cooley took eighth place with a score of 248.50.
Head Diving Coach Scott Donie said: “Really consistent day for Will,” adding that Cooley is increasing difficulty in his dive list and that Nicol performed strongly against top national competitors. Donie continued: “Looking forward to another strong day tomorrow!”
After this weekend’s invitational concludes, Columbia will take a break for the holidays before returning to competition on January 17 against Brown University in Rhode Island.
For updates on Columbia men’s swimming and diving, information can be found on their social media accounts or at GoColumbiaLions.com.
