September 18, 2024

COOL HAND LUKE: Princeton University star receiver Luke Colella heads upfield in a game last fall. Coming off a season where he made 47 catches for 620 yards and six touchdowns, earning All-Ivy League Honorable Mention recognition, Colella is primed for a big senior campaign. The Tigers kick off their 2024 season by playing at Lehigh on September 21. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

After making just three receptions in the first two seasons with the Princeton University football team, Luke Colella produced a breakout season last fall in emerging as one of the top receivers in the Ivy League.

Colella hauled in 47 catches for 620 yards and six touchdowns, earning All-Ivy League Honorable Mention recognition in the process. more

COMING UP BIG: Princeton University women’s soccer goalie Tyler McCamey dives to make a save in 2023 action. Last Sunday, senior star McCamey recorded seven saves in a losing cause as Princeton fell 1-0 to visiting Georgetown. The Tigers, now 4-2, play at Fairfield on September 18. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Tyler McCamey had a hectic day in her office in goal for the Princeton University women’s soccer team as it hosted Georgetown last Sunday evening.

Senior keeper McCamey recorded seven saves, knocked aside several crosses, and faced a penalty kick as Georgetown put the heat on all game long, outshooting Princeton 13-5 overall and 8-2 in attempts on goal on the way to a hard-earned 1-0 victory. more

September 11, 2024

HARRY SITUATION: Princeton University men’s soccer player Harry Roberts sends the ball upfield last Friday night as the Tigers hosted New Hampshire. Senior forward Roberts scored a goal in the contest but it wasn’t enough as Princeton fell 3-2. The Tigers, who dropped to 0-2 with the defeat, were slated to play at St. John’s on September 10 before hosting Colgate on September 17. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Justin Feil

The results haven’t come quite yet, but the Princeton University men’s soccer team is taking steps forward.

The Tigers dropped their second game in a row to start the season, falling 3-2 to New Hampshire last Friday at Roberts Stadium.  more

September 4, 2024

RETURN ENGAGEMENT: Princeton University field hockey star Beth Yeager, center, bolts through two foes in a 2021 game. Yeager, who took a hiatus from Princeton for the 2023-24 school year to play for the U.S. national team at the Paris 2024 Olympics, is back with the Tigers for her junior campaign. Princeton starts its 2024 season by heading to Louisville, Ky.,this weekend to face Louisville on September 6 and North Carolina on September 8. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Justin Feil

The Princeton University field hockey team has Beth Yeager back.

That fact alone gives the Tigers confidence that they can improve on last year, but Princeton has a lot more to be excited about than the return of Yeager, who played for the U.S. at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“It’s very helpful to have her experience and her leadership,” said Princeton head coach Carla Tagliente. “She specifically has a specialty skill on penalty corners. That’s a lot of goals not in that lineup last year and a lot of playmaking missed. I don’t think we’re by any means a one-person show. We’re the probably the most balanced we’ve been in a long, long time, but having her back is definitely super helpful.” more

August 28, 2024

NEE-JERK REACTION: Princeton University men’s soccer player Nico Nee gets ready to boot the ball in a game last fall. Senior forward Nee, who tallied three goals and five assists last season to earn Second-Team All-Ivy League honors, will be looking to produce a big final campaign for the Tigers. Princeton opens its 2024 season by playing at Rutgers on August 30. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

As it went 1-4-2 in Ivy League play last fall, the Princeton University men’s soccer team yielded 3.25 goals a game in its league setbacks.

Looking ahead to the program’s 2024 campaign, which starts on August 30 when Princeton makes the short trip to Rutgers, Tiger head coach Jim Barlow’s top priority is getting sharper play on the back line. more

SPECIAL K: Princeton University women’s soccer player Kayla Wong, right, defends a foe in a game last fall. Last Saturday, sophomore midfielder Wong picked up an assist and helped key a strong defensive effort as Princeton defeated Miami 1-0 in its season opener. The Tigers will look to keep on the winning track when they host Seton Hall on August 29. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Justin Feil

If Saturday’s season opener is any indication, it could be a very good — albeit unpredictable — season for the Princeton University women’s soccer team.

The Tigers used players in different spots than they’d been accustomed to in the past, were missing two stars to begin with, got thinner with a key injury minutes into the game, didn’t possess the ball the way they would like to, and yet still posted a 1-0 win over a visiting Miami team that had two games under its belt and unveiled a new style that took Princeton by surprise. more

LOGAN’S RUN: Logan McCarroll gets ready to unload the ball in action last fall in his sophomore season for the Princeton University men’s water polo team. McCarroll scored 28 goals with seven assists in 2023 to help Princeton go 28-6 and make the program’s first-ever appearance in the NCAA semis since the tournament was expanded in 2015. McCarroll will look to be a greater offensive threat this season as the Tigers open their 2024 campaign by playing in the Navy Invitational from September 7-8 in Annapolis, Md. (Photo by Shelley Szwast, provided courtesy of Princeton Athletics)

By Bill Alden

For Logan McCarroll, a skiing injury to his older brother led him to get into water polo as a 10-year-old.

“My family used to be a whole bunch of skiers, we had a house in Mammoth and we used to go up there every weekend to ski,” said McCarroll, a native of Laguna Beach, Calif.

“My sister (Lela), brother (Larsen), and I were all on the Mammoth ski team, we competed doing that every year. My older brother tore his ACL skiing and he got into water polo. I watched a few of his practices and that is how I ultimately started with water polo.” more

August 21, 2024

CARRYING THE FLAG: Nick Mead poses with the U.S. flag during the Closing Ceremony on August 11 at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Former Princeton University men’s heavyweight crew star Mead ’17 served as one of the U.S. flag bearers at the ceremony along with swimming star Katie Ledecky, becoming the first American rower to be so honored. Ten days earlier, Mead rowed for the U.S. men’s four that won the gold medal, earning the first victory in the event for the Americans since the Rome 1960 Games. (Photo provided by Nick Mead)

By Bill Alden

Nick Mead made history on and off the water as he rowed for the U.S. men’s four at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

At the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium flat-water course, former Princeton University men’s heavyweight star Mead ’17 helped his boat win gold on August 1 as it edged runner-up New Zealand in the A final, earning the first victory in the event for the Americans since the Rome 1960 Games.

A week later, Mead was named as one of the flag bearers along with Katie Ledecky for Team USA at the Closing Ceremony, becoming the first American rower to be so honored. more

SAVING GRACE: Princeton University women’s soccer goalie Tyler McCamey makes a save in a game last fall. McCamey starred as Princeton went 10-5-4 in 2023 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament, posting a 1.17 goals against average with 52 saves in 19 games. Senior McCamey, who is serving as a team co-captain this fall, will be looking to produce a stellar final campaign. The Tigers open their 2024 season by hosting Miami on August 24. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Justin Feil

The Princeton University women’s soccer team is hoping it can earn another NCAA tournament home victory to cap this season.

How exactly the Tigers get to that stage, though, is a big question.

Princeton will open the season with three straight home games, beginning on August 24 when Miami visits for a 7 p.m. start. more

IN THE FAST LANE: Zach Della Rocca, right, sprints to the finish line in a race this spring during his freshman season for the Princeton University men’s track team. Former Princeton High star Della Rocca will be running on the international stage next week as he competes for Athletics Australia at the World Athletics U20 Championships which are taking place in Lima, Peru, from August 27-31. (Photo provided courtesy of Princeton Athletics)

By Justin Feil

Zach Della Rocca’s progress in his first college track and field year opened the door for his first international competition.

The Princeton High product made big leaps in his first year across town at Princeton University to put himself in position to compete for Athletics Australia at the World Athletics U20 Championships which are taking place in Lima, Peru from August 27-31. more

August 14, 2024

DORA THE EXPLORER: Haven Dora heads to goal this past spring in her sophomore season for the Princeton University women’s lacrosse team. Star attacker Dora, who tallied 20 goals and team-high 49 assists in the 2024 campaign for the Tigers, will be competing for Team USA in the Women’s U20 Championships from August 15-24 in Hong Kong, China.

By Justin Feil

She may not need a map, but Haven Dora is quite the explorer.

Dora was in Italy on the Princeton University women’s lacrosse team’s overseas trip last fall, just months after traveling to London. Now lacrosse will take her to Hong Kong, China, to compete for Team USA in the Women’s U20 Championships from August 15-24.

“It’s really exciting,” said Dora, who will be a junior at Princeton this fall. “I’m honored to be on the team and represent the USA. I think it’ll be really fun to be able to play with a lot of the players that we play against in college and that I’ve played with growing up. I think it’ll be a really awesome experience to go over to Hong Kong and compete against all the other countries.” more

FLAG DAY: Nick Mead competing for the U.S. men’s four this spring. Former Princeton University rowing standout Mead ’17 helped the U.S. boat take gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics. It marked the first time the Americans had won the event since the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome. Mead was later named as one of the two flag bearers for Team USA at the Closing Ceremony along with nine-time Olympic gold medalist women’s swimming star Katie Ledecky. (Photo by Row2k, provided courtesy of USRowing)

By Bill Alden

Capping a historic run at the Paris 2024 Olympics for current and former Princeton University athletes, U.S. rowing star and gold medalist in the men’s four, Nick Mead ’17, served as one of the two flag bearers for Team USA at the Closing Ceremony of the Games last Sunday.

Mead was joined by nine-time Olympic gold medalist women’s swimming star Katie Ledecky leading Team USA into Stade de France to close out a memorable Games. more

August 7, 2024

WORLD CLASS: Jami MacDonald prepares to unload the ball in a game this spring for the Princeton University women’s lacrosse team. Rising Tiger junior MacDonald will be playing for Canada in the upcoming U20 World Lacrosse Women’s Championship, which is taking place from August 15-24 in Hong Kong, China. (Photo by Steven Wojtowicz)

By Justin Feil

Jami MacDonald’s fuel to play in the U20 World Lacrosse Women’s Championship was triggered five years ago when she wasn’t invited to try out for Team Canada.

“I just remember having this goal grow after I didn’t make it when I didn’t get invited,” said MacDonald. “I had this goal I’m going to make it next time.”

When it was last contested in 2019, it was still at the U19 level and MacDonald was just a freshman in high school. The Georgetown, Ontario, native hadn’t yet transferred to the Hotchkiss School (Conn.), where she would excel for three years before following her older brother, men’s lax star Mikey, to Princeton University. After two strong seasons with the Tigers, she will have her first chance to represent Canada in the U20 World Championships in Hong Kong, China, from August 15-24.

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GOLDEN TOUCH: Maia Weintraub, right, celebrates with a teammate during the 2022 Ivy League Championships. Last Thursday, rising Tiger junior Weintraub had reason to celebrate as she helped the U.S. women’s foil team win a gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Weintraub, designated as the alternate for the U.S. squad, stepped in the gold medal match and won both of her bouts as the U.S. defeated Italy 45-39. Weintraub is the first Princetonian to win a fencing gold medal. (Photo provided courtesy of Princeton Athletics)

By Bill Alden

Led by some historic performances from rowers and fencers, several former and current Princeton University standout athletes enjoyed a gold rush last week at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Former women’s open rowing star Hannah Scott ’21 started the Tiger gold rush last Wednesday as she helped Great Britain win the A final in the women’s quad sculls.

The British crew clocked a winning time of 6:16.31 over the 2,000-meter course at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium, just edging runner-up Netherlands, which came in at 6:16.46.

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July 31, 2024

OH MAIA: Maia Chamberlain shouts for joy after a win during her Princeton University fencing career. Chamberlain ’22 will be making her Olympic debut as she competes for the U.S. women’s saber team this week in the Paris Games. The women’s saber team event is scheduled for August 1 at the Grand Palais in Paris. (Photo provided courtesy of Princeton Athletics)

By Bill Alden

Competing in her first national fencing competition as a 9-year-old, Maia Chamberlain was a bit spooked by the cacophony of hollering she encountered at the San Jose Convention Center.

“Fencing is like a whole other ballgame, you don’t realize how much people scream in fencing; it is a very loud sport,” said Chamberlain. “I walked in and the whole venue was just like people screaming their heads off for the touch. The first thought I had walking in there was, ‘I am in a murder house?’ It feels like people are killing each other, that is what it sounds like.”

Undeterred, Chamberlain killed it in the competition, taking third in the U-10 saber in a harbinger of things to come. Over the years, Chamberlain moved up the national ladder, excelling in national competitions and placing second in U20 women’s saber at the 2016 Junior World Cup.

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FAB FOUR: Former Princeton University men’s heavyweight rowing star Nick Mead 17, far left, competes in the U.S. men’s four. Last Sunday, Mead helped the four place first in its opening heat at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The U.S. will go for a gold medal as it competes in the A final on August 1 at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium. (Photo by Row2k, provided courtesy of USRowing)

By Bill Alden

As the Paris 2024 Olympics got underway last weekend, Princeton University rowing alums put themselves in medal contention with a number of superb performances.

Last Sunday, Nick Mead ’17 helped the U.S four win its opening heat and advance to the A final on August 1 as it earned a shot at a medal. Rowing from the bow seat, Mead helped the boat post a winning time of 6:04.95 over the 2,000-meter course at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium. Anther Tiger alum, Timothy Masters ’15, rowed for the Australian four that took second in the same heat as it also put itself in position to compete for a spot on the podium. more

July 24, 2024

RETURNING TO THE FRAY: Kelsey Reelick, center, competes in the U.S. women’s 4 earlier this year. Reelick, a 2014 Princeton grad and former Tiger women’s open crew star, will be rowing in the U.S. 4 at the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics. After taking a four-year hiatus from the sport, Reelick returned to rowing to join the U.S. program in 2018 and worked her way up the ranks. (Photo by Row2k, provided courtesy of USRowing)

By Bill Alden

For Kelsey Reelick, earning a spot on the U.S. rowing team for the Paris 2024 Olympics turned out to be a sister act.

Former Princeton University women’s open rowing star Reelick ’14 joined the U.S. program in 2018 after four years in the working world, inspired by the success of younger sister, Erin, also a Tiger rowing standout, on the national stage. more

MAKING STRIDES: Madison Curry warms up before a recent game with Angel City Football Club of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWASL). Recently graduated Princeton University women’s soccer star defender Curry has made a solid debut for the club this season, playing in 14 games, including making 13 starts. (Photo provided courtesy of Angel City Football Club)

By Justin Feil

Madison Curry hasn’t taken long to exceed expectations at the professional level.

Recently graduated Princeton University women’s soccer star Curry has become the fifth former Tigers player to compete in the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) after being selected by Angel City Football Club with the ninth pick of the fourth round. She has played 14 games, including making 13 starts, far more than she ever anticipated already this season.

“It’s been an absolute whirlwind,” said Curry. “I think if you were to ask my expectations at the beginning of the season, it would never be that I would be starting. I was thinking this year would just be a development year for me. To be on the field with the team has been absolutely incredible and incredibly hard in many ways. But I love this team, and I love going to practice every day.” more

July 17, 2024

MAKING IT IN AMERICA: Princeton University women’s water polo star Jovana Sekulic poses with the U.S. flag. Rising junior Sekulic was recently named to the U.S. squad that will be competing at the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics. Earning a spot in the Olympics culminates an unlikely journey for Sekulic, who grew up in Belgrade, Serbia, and moved to the U.S. when she was 11. (Photo provided courtesy of Princeton Athletics)

By Justin Feil

A pair of Princeton University women’s water polo team products are on the United States team headed to the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Superstar goalie Ashleigh Johnson ’17 is on her third Olympic team, and it’s no surprise that the three-time All-American out of Princeton is going again. more

NICK OF TIME: Nick Mead rows for the U.S. men’s 4 in recent action. Mead, a 2017 Princeton University alum and Tiger men’s heavyweight rowing star, will be competing on the 4 in the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics. (Photo by Row2K, provided courtesy of USA Rowing)

By Bill Alden

Upon helping the U.S. men’s 8 boat take fourth place in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Nick Mead decided to take a hiatus from rowing.

“After Tokyo, they made a bunch of coaching changes, the performance director rolled over and basically the whole high performance system in the U.S. was completely different than it had been the last few years,” said Mead, a 2017 Princeton University alum and men’s heavyweight rowing star who helped the Tiger varsity 8 to a pair of bronze medals at the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) national championships. “I moved back to the east coast and I didn’t know whether I was going to row again, especially not knowing who was on the coaching staff.” more

July 3, 2024

PULLING IT TOGETHER: Claire Collins, second from right with visor, shows her form while rowing for the U.S. women’s 8. Former Princeton University women’s open crew standout Collins ’19 will be competing in the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics for the U.S. 8. It will mark the second appearance at the Olympics for Collins, who helped the U.S. 4 take seventh at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. (Photo by Row2K, provided courtesy of USA Rowing)

By Bill Alden

For Claire Collins, making the U.S. rowing team for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 marked a career breakthrough.

“It was pretty eye-opening, it was also the first senior national team that I made,” said Collins, a 2019 Princeton University grad who helped the Tigers earn four Ivy League titles during her college career and won the Otto von Kienbusch award as Princeton’s top senior female athlete.

“I had done the junior national team, I had done the U23. The Olympic team in 2021 was my first senior national team. It was also a really valuable experience as my first race on that level so I was seeing what that level was like. All in all, I would say a lot learned and great experiences.” more

June 26, 2024

DRIVING TO PARIS: Kareem Maddox drives to the hoop in a 2011 game during his senior season for the Princeton University men’s basketball team. Maddox made the U.S. men’s 3×3 team that has qualified to compete in the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics. (Photo by Stephen Goldsmith)

By Justin Feil

When Kareem Maddox started playing 3×3 basketball to further his playing career in 2017, he saw it in large part as an avenue to his Olympic dream.

That avenue had a speed bump when the United States and Maddox failed to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (that were held in 2021), but Maddox’s dream found a fast track three years later as a member of the U.S. men’s 3×3 team that has qualified and will compete in the Paris 2024 Olympics. more

June 19, 2024

STICKING WITH IT: Beth Yeager dribbles the ball upfield in action for the U.S. national field hockey team. Yeager, a rising junior for the Princeton University field hockey squad, was named last week to the 16-player roster for the national team that will compete at the Olympic Games in Paris that begin July 27. Yeager, who was the Ivy League Player of the Year in 2021 and 2022, took a year away from school to focus on making the U.S. squad for the Olympics. (Photo provided courtesy of USA Field Hockey)

By Justin Feil

Beth Yeager delayed her junior year at Princeton University for the opportunity to compete for a spot on the United States national field hockey team.

The night before the final team was to be posted on their training team’s app last week, Yeager was understandably nervous.

“It would be a bit strange if I wasn’t,” said Yeager. “I was definitely nervous. Like the night before, I really couldn’t fall asleep, and I woke up early that morning. I think everyone is. No matter if I had my position on the team, I would have been nervous just because it was my first Olympic selection and obviously it’s something that I’ve worked towards my whole field hockey career.”

Yeager was thrilled to be named June 12 to the 16-player roster for the national team that will compete at the Olympic Games in Paris that begin July 27.  more

June 12, 2024

ACTION JACKSON: Princeton University men’s track star Jackson Shorten competes in the steeplechase last week at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore. Sophomore Shorten placed fifth in his preliminary heat on Wednesday to qualify for the final. Two days later, he took 10th in the final, earning second-team All-American honors. Seven other Tiger athletics competed in the NCAA meet including Casey Helm in the men’s discus, Nicholas Bendtsen in the men’s 5,000 meters, Siniru Iheoma the women’s discus, Shea Greene in the women’s javelin, Alexandra Kelly in the women’s long jump, Georgina Scoot in the women’s triple jump, and Tessa Mudd in the women’s pole vault. (Photo provided by Princeton Athletics)

By Bill Alden

As the crème de la crème of the college track world converged last week at the mecca of the sport in the U.S., Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., for the NCAA Championships, the Princeton University squad had eight athletes make the stellar field.

For sophomore star steeplechaser Jackson Shorter, earning a trip to Hayward was the culmination of a superb spring.

“As I look forward to the coming week, I feel an immense sense of gratitude,” said Shorten as quoted on the Princeton sports website. “I am so thankful for the way that I have continued to progress this season, my coach, and my incredible teammates. I would not be where I am today without such an incredible support system. Ahead is an incredible opportunity and I want to make the most of it.” more

June 5, 2024

STROKE OF BRILLIANCE: Sarah Fry, center, powers the Princeton University women’s lightweight varsity 8 from the stroke seat in a race earlier this spring. Last Sunday, senior star Fry helped Princeton placed first in the Intercollegiate Rowing Association (IRA) national championship grand final on Mercer Lake. It was the fourth straight IRA title for the varsity 8. The Tigers also won the Commissioners’ Cup as the women’s lightweight team points leader at the regatta for the third straight season with 67 points, one point better than runner-up Stanford. (Photo by Ed Hewitt/Row2k, provided courtesy of Princeton Athletics)

By Justin Feil

Sarah Fry’s dedication page of her thesis features a quote from Theodore Roosevelt.

It’s from a speech in April, 1899, when Roosevelt said: “Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”

The quote is something that the Princeton University senior who is graduating as a well decorated mechanical and aerospace engineering major and member of the women’s lightweight rowing team has followed over the last five years.  more