LIONS DOMINATE BIG GREEN 

Susie Lee : Spectator Staff Writer 
Spectator Staff Writer 

"It was one of the most dominant meets against an Ivy League opponent that I have participated in throughout my four years here at Columbia," senior Tri-Captain Matt Gilman said of the men's swimming and diving team's 184-113 routing of Dartmouth at home in the Uris Pool Saturday afternoon. 

"It was nice to actually 'smoke the Big Green' without the R.A. banging on the door," he added. 

Columbia men's swimming entered the Dartmouth meet with a confidence that radiated from the first event, the 400-yard medley relay. Columbia clinched a one-two finish and started the meet off with a 15-2 lead. The Lions finished the long afternoon with an exclamation mark, as Columbia went one-two in the closing 200-yard freestyle relay, fractions away from the pool record. The big win over Dartmouth boosted the Lions' record to 3-4 overall, and 2-3 in the Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming League (EISL). It also marks Columbia's first Ivy win this season. 

"What we were looking for today was really the opportunity to race again," Head Coach Jim Bolster said. 

The Light Blue finished off last semester with a strong showing in a win over Fordham at home on December 9. Over winter break, Columbia divers honed their skills in sunny Florida, while the swimmers had a successful training trip to Hawaii. 

"The trip was fun. We had time to relax in a nice environment, but also logged in yardage that will carry us through the rest of the season," senior Tri-Captain Louis De Leon said. 

"I think all of [us] showed great improvement from our previous competitions. Our training over winter break really contributed to our performance," sophomore Daniel Brown added. 

The Big Green's roster consisted of only 14 swimmers and two divers, and their lack of team members proved to be their undoing. 

"Dartmouth is down in numbers, and they are in the building process right now," Bolster said. "It's good for us to have a meet like this right now." 

Columbia won nine of the 16 total events. However, Team Manager David Schach emphasized that the Lions accumulated many crucial points with second, third, and fourth place finishes. 

Thus the depth of the Light Blue was a critical factor in padding the victory margin. The 1650-yard freestyle provided a good example of this. 

In this event, Dartmouth clinched first place, but Columbia's Mike McCosker and Chris Ferris came through with two-three finishes respectively. Thus Dartmouth outscored Columbia 10-9 against Dartmouth's Toby Hays, a favorite in the event.