The last time the Elis faced the Big Green was in the Ivy opener of 2022, where Yale prevailed in all five races against Dartmouth, Cornell and Columbia. Edging out the runner-up by over five seconds in every race, the Bulldogs added both the Class of 1985 Cup and Connell Cup to the Gilder Boathouse trophy case. 

This was the team’s only home race of the season, and the Bulldogs were in high spirits as they geared up for the return of the Yale-Dartmouth matchup after three years. Before the races, the crew celebrated senior night, a tradition honoring the seniors and their contributions to the team. 

“Senior night was really nice because we got to honor each of the seniors, and we prepared posters before to honor each of their contributions to the team,” Ella Warden ’27, seat two of the third varsity quartet, told the News.

Additionally, the team also celebrated coach Will Porter’s 25th year with Yale. Porter was named head coach of the women’s crew team in 1999, and under his coaching and guidance, the team qualified for the NCAA 21 times, taking home 18 top-10 finishes and five NCAA titles.

“It has been an honor to coach at YWC, the athletes who row at Yale are exceptional on every level, athletically, academically, and as people,” Porter told the News.

The head coach also recognized the exceptional dedication and courage involved in simultaneously pursuing both sports and academics at the highest level.

In addition to winning a multitude of team titles, Porter has also coached seven Olympians, 10 senior team athletes and 29 U23 athletes.

“What the athletes do daily is amazing, and it is not for everyone. Very few people are brave enough to take on the ultimate challenge of rowing at the top level of our sport and not compromising their academics. I love it,” said Porter.

The races at the Housatonic River started bright and early at 8:30 am with the third varsity eight race, which set the momentum for the Bulldogs with a dominant finish of 6:33.30, edging out Dartmouth’s time of 6:45.47 by over 12 seconds. The Bulldogs started the race with a bang, and after an explosive start sequence, settled into a strong base rhythm through the middle 1000m, opening up clear water and never looking back.

Even with the oncoming of spring, the weather remained chilly at around 39 degrees Fahrenheit with a slight overcast and a drizzle throughout the morning. The suboptimal conditions, combined with a light chop on the water, made the crew exercise special caution throughout the races. However, the Bulldogs stayed resilient throughout the harsh weather conditions.

“Cold weather prevents you from really stretching out and relaxing, but we did well today,” Porter wrote to the News. “We train year-round in pretty much any conditions; today was no big deal.”

The first varsity eight team continued the winning streak for the Bulldogs, securing the Class of ’85 Cup and rowing away to victory with a time of 6:08.40, 14.05 seconds ahead of the Big Green’s 6:22.45.

The second varsity eight team closed the first half of the races on a high note, outpacing the competition with 6:19.20, over 12 seconds ahead of Dartmouth (6:31.79).

The varsity four team continued dominating the river during the second half of racing, with the first varsity quartet finishing on top with 6:55.60, a runaway win over Dartmouth (7:16.72).

The second varsity four (7:00.90) also stormed to victory, crossing the line comfortably ahead of the Big Green (7:24.80). The consistent and dominant performance of the crew team was thanks in no small part to their intensive practices both on and off season.

“The team culture is very good, and the vibes are very high. We’re pushing each other to the max,” said Warden.

Starting in the fall, the Bulldogs trained outdoors six days a week in the fall and spring and indoors during winter when the water froze over.

Even during days with no scheduled practice, captain Mia Levy ’25 often held captain practices to build the team’s stamina. Coach Porter expressed excitement about the team’s motivation.

“We practice at a high level, the energy and focus are intense, the squad is driven from within which allows me to coach technique rather than effort,” Porter said.

To close off the event, the third varsity four sealed the win with open water with a time of 7:23.50, 18.21 seconds ahead of Dartmouth (7:41.71).

This final victory meant that Yale not only retained the Class of 1985 Cup but also clinched a flawless 6-0 win, with a comfortable margin of over 10 seconds in each race.

“We had a really good middle part of the race where we were able to row away and continue pulling away instead of just sitting up,” recalled Warden.

With the Class of 1985 Cup successfully defended, the Bulldogs will now set their sights on the Eisenberg Cup, where they will travel to New Jersey to face Princeton on Saturday, April 19. Last year, the Tigers prevailed 4-1 after a close battle, with around 5 seconds or less difference in four of the five races. 

This year’s race will be held on Lake Carnegie, a reservoir straddling the border of the town of Princeton.

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Before the meet, team members underwent a taper, training less than their usual six-day and 15 to 20-hour weeks to allow their bodies to rest before the meet. Fully rested and with hundreds of hours of practice under their belts, the Bulldogs shattered several team and personal records once they arrived in New Jersey. 

Being the only meet in the year with eight participating schools and four days, the event was split into preliminary and final rounds, allowing swimmers and divers several chances to display their best performances. 

One of the most notable showings was Mabel Koff’s ’28 electrifying swims in the 200-yard backstroke. Koff first broke the team record in the preliminary swims with 1:54.93. Her A final time of 1:54.79 was enough to break the team record a second time and clinch third place. 

“Breaking the record was one of my goals going into the meet, so I was really excited. I knew I put in the work, so I felt like the time would come,” Koff told the News. 

The dynamic quartet of Quinn Murphy ’25, Jessey Li ’26, Alex Massey ’25 and Sara Plunkett ’27 also set a new team record. Their 200-yard medley time of 1:37.19 won third place overall and started the first day with a bang. 

Seniors, for whom it was their last meet, gave it their all, putting up several fast times. After being part of two A final bronze quartets, Murphy also made a new personal best in the 200 backstroke, her time of 1:56.28 earning fifth in the A final. 

“I was feeling very emotional after my 200 back on Saturday, my last race, but I guess it hasn’t completely set in yet,” Murphy told the News. “I’m just really grateful that I got to be a part of Yale swim and dive and got to finish off my last meet with best times.”

Hayden Henderson ’25, who topped several diving events in previous meets, continued her strong performance, placing third in the 1-meter dive with 284.35 and fourth in the 3-meter B final with 264.95. 

Massey also ended the season on a high note. Her dominant performances and several new personal bests earned her the prestigious Ivy League Career High Point Award, awarded to the senior across all the Ivies with the highest points scored over all four years. 

“I had a suspicion that I was in the running for the award based on my past performances, but it didn’t hit me how real it would be until my coach called me aside and told me after the 200 fly,” Massey told the News.  

A series of excellent dives on the second day of the championships sent three Bulldogs to the diving A finals. Henderson (284.35), Lily Horenkamp ’26 (283.35) and Paige Lai ’28 (280.35) all made the cut, placing third, fourth and sixth, respectively, in the 1-meter preliminary dive. 

Riding the momentum from their opening 200-yard medley, the swim team continued showing strength in relays, with Li, Éle Donegan ’25, Caroline McCurdy ’26 and Massey taking bronze in the 200 yd freestyle relay with 1:31.20. Koff, McCurdy, Devyn Sargent ’28 and Junseo Kim ’25 finished the 800-yard freestyle relay in 7:17.49, enough for fourth place. 

The third day saw several strong individual performances, including medal finishes from Massey and Li. Massey’s 52.82 in the 100-yard fly secured bronze in the A finals, while Li clinched silver in the 100-yard breaststroke A final with a 1:00.49. In the 400-yard individual medley, it was Eunice Lee ’28 who finished fifth in the A final with 4:13.84, while Caroline Riggs ’27 (4:18.58) and Kim (4:19.71) took fifth and sixth places in the B final, respectively. 

Even after three days of all-out racing and diving, the Bulldogs showed their resilience and strength on the last day, bringing out their absolute best in the finals. In the 3-meter diving B final, Mariana Huang ’28 (237.85) placed eighth place, Henderson (264.95) took fourth and Lai (304.70) broke the 300 mark to take silver in the event. 

In the swimming events, Massey (1:59.17) and Kim (1:59.86) both broke two minutes in the 200-yard fly to earn them fifth and sixth place in the A final, respectively, while Lilly Derivaux’s ’26 2:00.01 was enough for seventh place. 

The 400-meter freestyle relay of Li, Plunkett, McCurdy and Koff took fifth in the A final with 3:32.72, while Riggs (16:26.44), Derivaux (16:46.03) and Morgan Cady ’28 (16:47.02) all swam just over a mile in under 17 minutes to win fourth, eighth and ninth in the 1,650-yard freestyle, respectively. 

With the season concluding, the swimmers and divers will have two weeks of rest, with more time to pursue out-of-pool ventures. 

Although it’s the last ever meet for the seniors, their lasting impact and inspiration on the team will live way beyond graduation. 

“Coming back to a locker room where the seniors aren’t in their spots will definitely hit hard for me,” Li told the News. “I know those relationships will last when the seniors graduate, but it will definitely be difficult to not have so many daily moments together,” Li said. 

There are seven seniors on the 2024-25 Yale women’s swim and dive roster. 

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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.

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Escaping the cold of New Haven, the swim and dive team spent much of their winter break at a 10-day intensive training in Puerto Rico. Being away from school, team members agreed that being able to focus on swimming full-time was a fulfilling experience. 

“The Puerto Rico practices created a very strong bond within the team because we were spending so much time together,” Mabel Koff ’28 told the News. “We put in a lot of hard work and cheered each other on, and it is rewarding to look back at the end and see how much we achieved.”

However, the absence of school also meant the practices were more intense. In addition to waking up early every morning, the team swam in 50-meter Olympic-sized pools, which are more than twice as long as the 25-yard pools used for their standard practices. 

There were also several back-to-back “double practice” days, where the team would practice twice a day for consecutive days, something usually not done at Yale practices. 

“Penn/Dartmouth was definitely a challenging meet because we were coming straight off of a training trip so everyone was really tired. But I think the team performed really well even through that exhaustion,” said Morgan Cady ’28.

The Penn/Dartmouth meet marks the first tri-meet of the season, where the three teams would simultaneously swim and dive in each event to triple the excitement. The meet occurred over two days, with diving on the first day and swimming on the second. Although the athletes swam concurrently, scoring was done after the event in a pairwise format, meaning that the matchups Yale-Dartmouth, Yale-Penn and Penn-Dartmouth were scored separately. 

On the first day, the Bulldogs dove headfirst into the lead, with Paige Lai ’26 (297.05), Hayden Henderson ’25 (279.10), Lily Horenkamp ’26 (273.90) and Laurel Jin ’25 (265.35) sweeping the top four spots of the 1-meter dive event. Lai’s score of 274.15 was also enough for second place in the 3-meter dive. 

Building on the strong momentum from the divers, the swimmers continued the winning streak, kicking off day two with a first-place finish in the 200-meter medley. The dynamic quartet of Devyn Sargent ’28, Jessey Li ’26, Alex Massey ’25 and Caroline McCurdy ’26 finished with a time of 1:42.57, prevailing over second place by more than two seconds. 

“We haven’t raced in a long time, so it was just fun to have that energy back on deck again, seeing where we were at after the training trip. And I think we did a good job of racing people and getting our hand on the wall first,” team captain Quinn Murphy ’25 said. 

In the sprints, Li prevailed in the 100 breaststroke (1:02.87) and Massey touched the wall first in the 100 butterfly (55.75). 

The Bulldogs showcased a dominant performance in the mid-distance races. Koff clinched the top spot in the 200-meter IM, and the Elis also swept the top three spots of the 200-meter free, 200-meter butterfly and 200-meter back events. 

In the 200 free, the Bulldogs were led by Koff (1:52.35), Junseo Kim ’25 (1:53.11) and McCurdy (1:54.00). After winning the 100-meter butterfly, Massey also prevailed in the 200-meter butterfly (2:01.72), with Lilly Derivaux ’26 (2:03.80) and Eunice Lee ’28 (2:05.22) rounding out the top three for the 200-meter fly. 

In the 200-meter backstroke, Koff finished first with a sub-two-minute finish of 1:59.04, followed by Sargent (2:02.89) and Murphy (2:03.94).

Closing out the meet with as much energy as they started, the Bulldogs finished strong, with the quartet of McCurdy, Sargent, Lily Neumann ’28 and Massey finishing the 400-meter freestyle relay in 3:29.01 and edging out Dartmouth by just over a second. 

The Bulldogs will have their second tri-meet of the season against Harvard and Princeton from Jan. 31 through Feb. 1.

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“The team has done a great job staying together and being prepared to compete,” team coach Jim Henry told the News. “The team is resilient and ready to race at all times, and it shows.”

In preparation for the meeting, team members adopted various warm-up strategies. Some adjusted their bodies to swimming mode with a casual 500-1000-yard swim. Some, like backstroke swimmer Mabel Koff ’28, used music to “get into the zone.” 

Starting strong, the relay quartet of Devyn Sargent ’28, Jessey Li ’26, Alex Massey ’25 and Sara Plunkett ’27 took the first swim event of the meet by finishing the 200 medley relay with 1:41.40, their third win in the 200 medley this season. 

In diving, it was Hayden Henderson ’25 who prevailed in both the 1m and 3m events, with a double 300+ performance (301.95, 302.10). In the 1m dive, Lily Horenkamp ’26 (291.45) finished second, ahead of third place by over 30 points. The Bulldogs also swept the 3m dive, with Henderson, Grace Wu ’28 (289.95) and Horenkamp (261.83) taking the top 3 spots. 

Henderson emphasized the importance of “being in the moment,” with the mental aspect being a significant part of diving. 

“Before each dive, before I get on the board, … I’m focusing on that one dive and not on how others are doing, along with forgetting the dives I did before; those are in the past, I can’t do anything about them now,” Henderson said. 

Competing at an away meet didn’t stop the team from creating vivacious energy by cheering each other on and shouting signature chants. Koff told the news that she was impressed with the team, and she thought the Bulldogs “did a really great job with the energy.” 

“Bulldog Backstroke,” one of many famous hype chants of the swim team, delivered an enchanting performance, with Sargent, Quinn Murphy ’25 and Plunkett sweeping the top three spots of the 100 backstroke. In the 200 backstroke, it was Koff who touched the wall first with 1:59.14, taking her third win in the 200 back this season. 

“Everyone was super tough during the races. We got a lot of good hustle points, and seeing everyone work together at our first scored away meet was fun,” team captain Murphy said. 

Though the Lions took the 100 and 200 freestyle events, long distance was all Bulldogs, with Lilly Derivaux ’26 taking both the 500 and 1000 freestyle swims, edging out second place by just over half a second with 10:14.75 in the 1000 and finishing with exactly 5:00.00 in the 500. Yale also dominated in the 400 IM event, with Eunice Lee ’28 and Junseo Kim ’25 finishing within a second of each other (4:24.91, 4:25.89) to take the top two spots in that event. 

Several members of the winning 200 medley relay team also demonstrated a commanding performance in the individual events. Massey took both the 100 and 200 butterfly swim for the Bulldogs, finishing in 56.00 flat in the 100 and 2:02.76 in the 200. After swimming the breaststroke leg of the relay, Li also clinched the 100 breaststroke with 1:01.83. Both Massey’s 200 butterfly and Li’s 100 breaststroke times were more than two seconds faster than the runner-up. 

For their next meet, the swimmers will “suit up” for the first time this season by wearing a special swimsuit that will help reduce resistance in the pool. 

“I’m excited to see what we can do as a team and individually. Suited up and tapered, I think it’s going to be a great meet, and we’ll put up some great times,” Koff said. 

The Bulldogs will return to the pool for the Ohio Invitational from Nov. 21 to 23. 

The post WOMEN’S SWIM: Bulldogs prevail over Columbia appeared first on Yale Daily News.

As the first scored meets of the season, teams were awarded points for strong finishes in each event: around nine to 11 points for first, four points for runner-up, and zero to three points for later places. 

The 200-meter medley relay team of Devyn Sargent ’28, Jessey Li ’26, Alex Massey ’25 and Sara Plunkett ’27 captured first in the event on both days, with times of 1:40.42 against Miami and 1:40.45 against Brown. The breaststroke events were all swept by Li, who edged out the runner-up by more than two seconds in three of the four swims. 

“Our practices the past couple of weeks have been some of the most intense practices. Racing tired builds that aerobic capacity and teaches us to be mentally tough,” Li told the News. 

In the Miami meet, Miami’s divers did not attend, so the diving event was all Bulldogs. Even without direct competition, the Elis still put up a commanding performance, with Mariana Huang ’28 scoring 290.10 to win the 1-meter board and Grace Wu ’28 breaking the 300-point mark to take the 3-meter board event with 303.45. 

Although the 500-meter and 1000-meter freestyle events went to Miami, backstroke was all Yale. Mabel Koff ’28 and Sargent took the top two spots in both the 100-meter and 200-meter back events, with times of 55.40 and 1:58.82 respectively. Sargent also emerged victorious in the 200-meter IM event by pulling ahead in the backstroke and breaststroke portions and finishing with 2:04.54. 

As team members often arrive at the pool more than two hours before the meet, they had just an evening off and one night’s sleep to rest after the Miami 4 p.m. meet before Brown’s 11 a.m. meet the next day. While ice bathing and yoga stretching are common recovery strategies, breaststroke and freestyle swimmer Charlize Escasa ’27 uses foam rolling, a cooldown technique to release tension caused by lactic acid buildup. 

“It’s important to be vigilant on recovering between sessions, getting as much sleep as possible, cooling down between events, removing the lactic acid; it gets you more prepared for the next one,” said Escasa. 

The meet against Brown on Saturday served as the Ivy opener, and the Bulldogs not only continued their now 5-0 streak against Brown but also won with a greater margin of 160-140 compared to last year’s 151-149. 

Many team members pointed to the familiarity of the pool and the energetic home atmosphere as strong catalysts for their performance. 

“We always put an emphasis on putting in energy and being the loudest team on deck. Being at home, there’s a different type of energy and fun that we all have being there,” said team captain Quinn Murphy ’25. 

The diving team prevailed in both the 1-meter and 3-meter events, with Hayden Henderson ’25 (307.73), Lily Horenkamp ’26 (289.80) and Wu (276.45) sweeping the top three spots in the 3m and Henderson also clinching first in the 1-meter with 296.03 points. 

As home meets occur right in the Kiphuth Pool of the Payne Whitney Gymnasium, the Yale side of the stands was full of enthusiastic supporters, including many members of the men’s swimming team, who orchestrated different chants during every race to cheer on the Bulldogs. 

“The crowd was amazing. The men’s team was in the stands; they were very loud and engaged in the racing, so it’s always nice to have them there. It was nice seeing familiar faces in the stands that you can rely on,” Escasa said. 

In swimming, the Elis also put up a dominant performance, winning several of the same events as the day before and more. To start off strong, Morgan Cady ’28 took the first individual swimming event of the meet, clocking in at 10:15.35 in the 1000-meter freestyle. 

In addition to winning the 100-meter and 200-meter breaststroke, Li also touched the wall first in the 50 freestyle (23.34), making her a part of four first-place finishes in the meet. Koff continued her winning streak in the 200 backstroke with a time of 1:58.29. 

“There’s this sense, when you’re in the pool, you’re racing with the Yale Y on your cap. That’s our Y, why we’re doing this is the Y on our cap. It’s a big motivation when you’re racing for something bigger than yourself,” said Li. 

The women’s swim and dive team will have their next meet on Nov. 15 against Columbia in New York.

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“We’re putting in lots of work, seldom resting prior to this meet,” distance swimmer Konstantinos Zachariadis ’27 told the News. “Even on the last day before the meet, on Friday, we still had an intense practice.” 

This year, the meet was held at Delaware, which meant the Bulldogs had to wake up early and commute to the event site. However, even after a five-hour journey, the Bulldogs still rose to the occasion. 

Alex Massey ’25 delivered an outstanding performance for the women’s swim team, being part of both the winning 200-yard medley and 400-yard freestyle relays. She also clinched first in the 100 and 200-yard butterfly events with times of 56.72 and 2:03.07, respectively.  

On the men’s swim side, it was the first year from London, Nicholas Finch ’28, who dominated the sprints, touching the wall first in both the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly events. 

Being a scrimmage, the meet was a non-team scored event, but nevertheless, with the same format as an official race, team members felt that the same spirited and enthusiastic atmosphere of a formal meet. 

“Everyone was really amped up to compete,” breaststroke and sprint freestyle swimmer Charlize Escasa ’27 told the News. “It was a combined meet, and we always love having the men’s team around; they bring this great aura of fierce competition and sportsmanship.”

Jake Wang ’28 touched the wall first in the 200-yard breaststroke at the 2:02.83 mark. The Bulldogs racked up even more titles in the long-distance events. Yale swept the men’s 500-yard freestyle, with Arshak Hambardzumyan ’28, Charlie Egeland ’27 and Zachariadis finishing first, second and third, respectively. In the men’s 400-yard individual medley, the Elis were also dominant, with Elliot Lee ’28 and Jed Jones ’25 taking the top two spots. 

While the Bulldogs thrived in their specialized strokes, the meet was a great opportunity for athletes to try out new strokes and distances, as well. Zachariadis is primarily a long-distance freestyle swimmer, but he took home the first event win for the men’s team in the 200-yard butterfly event. 

The diving team displayed a dominating performance at the meet, winning three of the four events. On the women’s team, Lily Horenkamp ’26 prevailed in 3m diving and Hayden Henderson ’25 emerged victorious in the 1m. Men’s 3m diving was a sweep for Yale, with the Elis taking all of the top three spots. Jackson Lipscomb ’28, Brady Stanton ’28 and Ray Wipfli ’25 all put up scores of over 300 to finish in first, second and third place, respectively. 

In women’s swim, the Elis were superior in the 200-yard medley and 400-yard freestyle relays, and several members of the winning relay quartets went on to prevail in their individual events. Jessey Li ’26, although primarily a breaststroke/IM swimmer, clinched two short-mid distance freestyle events for the Bulldogs, winning both the 100-yard and 200-yard freestyle swims. 

Devyn Sargent ’28 was on both winning relay teams, and her individual time of 1:59.56 was enough for first place in the 200-yard backstroke. 

The long-distance swims also went well for the Elis, with Eunice Lee ’28 taking the 400-yard individual medley swim and Caroline Riggs ’27 prevailing in the 1000-yard freestyle. Lilly Derivaux, who was also a part of the 400-yard freestyle relay group, won the 500-yard freestyle. 

“I’m just excited to have fun and make the most of these last meets with my teammates/team as well as see how all our hard work pays off,” said Junseo Kim ’25, a mid-long distance swimmer who has been on the swim team for all four years at Yale.

The women’s swimming and diving team will have their next meet on Nov. 1 against the University of Miami, and the men’s swimming and diving team will have their next meet on Nov. 8 against Brown.

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A myriad of food options were provided at various club booths, and participants were treated to dancing and martial arts performances. The event was organized by the Asian American Student Alliance, also known as the AASA, along with affiliate student organizations of the Asian American Cultural Center. 

“We’re just really happy that so many people showed up, all the clubs were able to come, and they made a lot of food,” Justin Fan ’28, a co-lead organizer of this year’s night market, told the News. “A lot of people were happy with that, it was just entertaining for them.”

From coordinating rehearsals for dances to instrumental performances to preparing food for booths, board members attested to the event preparation process as a unifying experience. 

The night market is one of the prominent cultural events of the year, and therefore clubs began preparations long before the date. Rafia Mobashira ’27, another co-lead organizer of this year’s night market, told the News that planning began one month ahead of the event, and involved 16 of the more than 50 affiliate groups of the AACC. 

Although the night market usually takes place during the spring semester, Mobashira said this year it was delayed until the fall.

AACC affiliate organizations brought cultural food and drinks to the event. Students could purchase bundles of three food tickets online for $10. Each ticket could then be exchanged for food at each booth.

Oyshi Monawarah ’28, a first-year liaison for the Yale Bengali Students Association, pointed to the “focused efforts and challenging logistics” involved in preparing Jhal Muri, a signature Bengali street snack that YBSA offered at their booth. A key ingredient of Jhal Muri is Chanachur —  a spicy snack mix — which isn’t readily accessible in typical stores.

Janina Gbenoba ’27, a social chair on the board of Kasama, the Yale Filipino Club, pointed to preparing and serving food as one of her favorite parts of the event. She described cooking with club members in the AACC kitchen as “a bonding experience.”  

Anh Nguyen ’26, an AASA coordinator and co-president of Asian Recipes at Yale told the News that affiliate organizations like ARAY provided foods and drinks without funding from the AASA.

Nguyen said that proceeds from food ticket sales will go to New Haven mutual aid funds, as the Night Market usually raises around $500. According to Fan, the proceeds for this year will be posted on the AASA Instagram account.

With several representatives from each club running each booth, the night market was not only an opportunity for attendees to make friends and enjoy shows but also a special occasion for club members to connect with each other. 

“For anyone who identifies as Asian, this event is really fun, a good way to hang out with friends, you get to try out a lot of different foods, and you also get to enjoy the performances,” said Tina Huang ’26, who initially learned about the night market from her friends in AASA. 

Ronald Gomez ’28 attended the event as a member of the performance group Red Lantern, which performed a Chinese fan dance at the event. Although he believed the event was a testament to the diversity of cultural groups at the University, Gomez told the News that he did not think the food tickets were worth it.

“I feel the food was good, don’t get me wrong, the quality was there, but the portion size was way too small,” Gomez said.

With a high turnout and mostly positive feedback from the student body, organizers considered the event a success and are considering hosting another one in the Spring. 

Though complex, the clubs agreed that the preparations were “worth it,” as the feedback to the food booths and performance groups was generally positive. Mobashira hoped that the next event could be bigger and better with more participation and earlier planning.

The Asian American Cultural Center was established in 1981.

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At the race, varsity swimmers and divers will split into two teams and compete in a variety of strokes, distances, and dives in a format similar to intercollegiate matches. In addition to determining which of Yale’s colors are superior, the Blue vs. White race is also a great opportunity to showcase the new recruits and highlight the current team’s strengths and weaknesses. 

“The kickoff is such a great event for team culture,” distance swimmer Konstantinos Zachariadis ’27 said. “I’m looking forward to seeing our current level, seeing where we can improve, and preparing for the season.” 

With diverse talents in all strokes and dives, as well as an impressive collection of titles, the Bulldogs start the season strong. 

Zachariadis hails from Greece, and his 53:28 time for the 5k qualified him to represent the country in international competitions. 

Although the Swim and Dive team had no official fall season meets before October, the Elis couldn’t wait to get in the pool. Seniors and team captains took the initiative and arranged practices for the rest of the group. The swim team has practiced up to three to four hours a day for six days a week for the past month. 

“Our coach said we had 92 percent attendance at captains’ practices, so I think we’ve been preparing really well,” recalled freestyle swimmer Morgan Cady ’28. 

Cady began competitive swimming at 13 and broke her high school’s 500m freestyle record, which had stood for almost 20 years, at the Colorado state meet last year.  

Butterfly and IM swimmer Junseo Kim ’25 recounted that she started to swim at 7 “to learn how to float in case of emergencies,” and is now both a four-time U.S. Nationals qualifier and a 2016 Olympic Trials qualifier. 

Though in her senior year, Kim still remembers the thrill she felt during her first Blue vs. White race at Yale. 

“There was so much new to me, but it was so much fun and there was lots of cheering,” Kim told the News. 

While practices and competitions can be physically taxing, multiple team members have attested to the necessity of mental fortitude. Divers are in the air for no more than a couple of seconds during their flips, which makes staying calm and composed all the more critical.

Nicholas Chau ’26 first discovered his love for diving during swimming practice, and years later, he finished in the top 10 in the USA diving nationals for juniors. 

He mentioned the “mental block” that divers often encounter when trying to learn a new dive, where their body is physically ready for the movement but their mind is still doubting. 

“It can be difficult to chuck yourself off a 10-feet high board and execute several flips with the risk of hitting the board or belly-flopping on the water,” said Chau. 

On the other end of the spectrum, long-distance swimmers may remain in the water for up to a mile or more, and the race can sometimes be, as Zachariadis puts it, “tough and lonely.” 

Though many of their competitions involve swimming or diving alone, when asked about their favorite aspect of the sport, many members pointed to the supportive and loving nature of the team. Even though swimming and diving are completely different in nature, the shared element of water ensures the harmony of the combined team.  

“We’re two different sports, but we’re one team, and we’re very good at meshing with each other,” said Chau.  

From cheering each other on during races and having each other’s backs when balancing training with academics, the Bulldogs have formed numerous tight-knit bonds. Several team members told the News that the Swim and Dive team was like “a second family to them.” 

Following the Blue vs White exhibition race, the Swim and Dive team will have their first collegiate meet of the season against the University of Massachusetts on Oct. 19. 

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On Sept. 10, 2024, the National Institutes of Health — NIH — granted a team of doctors from the Yale School of Medicine — YSM — a $3.35 million grant to research genetic testing in rare diseases. 

With an ambitious goal of providing diagnosis services to underserved communities and spearheading cutting-edge research in medicine, the YDCoE combines doctors’ research and clinical expertise with community organizations’ outreach services. 

One of YSM’s major partners is Fair Haven Community Health Care — FHCHC — a local organization focused on serving underserved communities and children in New Haven. 

“There’s really a two-way street that we envision,” Ben Oldfield, a doctor at FHCHC, said. “We’ll refer patients seeking care from us with difficult-to-diagnose disorders, while the genetics department will provide diagnosis education for our clinicians.” 

The study of rare diseases touches many disciplines across medicine, leading to the diversity of the project members; there are doctors in genetics, pediatrics, bioinformatics, data science and more. 

Mark Gerstein, a doctor who specializes in bioinformatics and data science, reaffirmed the interdisciplinary nature of the research. While some clinicians gather data from patients, others conduct research and yet others write code and create models to interpret the data. 

With new technologies in gene-editing and artificial intelligence on the rise, doctors at YSM have shown enthusiasm for developing and implementing technology for diagnosing and treating rare diseases. 

Since many rare diseases are genetic, breakthroughs in gene-editing technology pave the way for not only diagnosing but also potentially curing many rare diseases. 

Yong-Hui Jiang, a genetics researcher and the principal investigator of the YDCoE project, pointed to the new sickle-cell cure developed last December as a source of hope for the future. 

“The sickle cell cure was the first ever FDA-approved therapy involving CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing, and I look forward to applying CRISPR technology for new development disorder cures,” Jiang said. 

CRISPR-Cas9 is a genetic engineering technique used to edit genomes. 

Efficiently categorizing rare diseases also involves finding patterns over similar precedents, and often requires processing large amounts of data. 

Thanks to the progression in computing power, machines costing millions of dollars 10 to 15 years ago can now be utilized for way cheaper and run in much less time, Gerstein pointed out. 

Beyond gathering and interpreting data, communication with patients is important. 

As patients can come from a variety of backgrounds, it is important for doctors to make accurate diagnoses and provide genetic counseling to help families understand genetic conditions and make informed decisions. 

“When analyzing a genetic condition, we must think about more than that individual,” Oldfield said. “The diagnosis of one person can have an impact on the whole family.” 

Despite being spread across numerous fields, when asked what drew them to the project, the doctors the News talked to all indicated a “desire to help others” as the main motivation. 

Jiang spent much of his career working with kids with genetic disabilities, and his passion for helping such patients reach their full potential was his main drive to spearhead this project. 

Monkol Lek, a genetics researcher who had limb-girdle muscular dystrophy himself, which is a weakness of the limb-girdle muscles, dedicates his work to making sure that patients with rare diseases have the best chance to perform their best in life. 

Lek said he reminds his medical students that “every single data point on the spreadsheet is a person whose lives we can change for the better.

The Yale Medical School has received over $500 million in awards and grants from the NIH.

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