AKRON, Ohio -- The Cornell women's swimming and diving team earned its best finish since the 2019-20 season with a third-place showing after Sunday's final day of the 2023 Zippy Invitational from the Ocasek Natatorium. Cornell grabbed at least a podium finish in five different event heats, including two overall victories.

The first victory for the Big Red came in the 1650-Freestyle, as freshman Erin DeHollander took home the top spot, touching the wall at 16:53.41. The Victor, N.Y. native also now owns the fourth-fastest time in program history with her performance. Allie Danko also had a solid showing in the event, finishing in sixth place with a 17:19.66. Cornell's other overall victory came in the 100-Freestyle, as senior Priscilla Wongso earned gold at 50.25, 0.23 seconds ahead of teammate Emilie Boisrenoult, who picked up the runner-up spot in the A-final. Both seniors were joined by classmate Joelle Ohr, as the Wilmette, Ill. native earned sixth place in the top heat. Kate Li also took home the B-final in the event, finishing 0.42 seconds ahead of Oakland's Ronja Riihinen to claim 20 team points.

Cornell's Hojung Yoon had an all-time altering effort in the 200-Backstroke, clocking the third-fastest time in program history (1:59.76) to finish sixth overall in the A-final. The Big Red also had two top finishes in the B-final of the event, as Marie Williams shaved almost three seconds off her preliminary time to grab the top spot with a 2:00.67, while Olivia Sutter finished fourth. The underclassmen theme carried over into the 200-Butterfly, as Katherine Yee finished fifth in the A-final (1:59:94). Her time is now third all-time in school history, as the freshman already broke the record during Cornell's tri-meet against Penn and Princeton on Nov. 18. Yee was not alone in the A-final, as Anna Gruvberger took home seventh overall. 

The Big Red had two top-10 finishes in the 400-Freestyle Relay to close Sunday's action. The quartet of Wongso, Boisrenoult, Ohr, and Li grabbed fourth overall and the third-fastest time in program history with a 3:22.83, while Gruvberger, Jungmin Yoon, Danko, and Chloe Addiego finished 10th (3:28.31). 

Overall, the Big Red shuffled the all-time performance list over the four-day event, including Priscilla Wongso's record-breaking time in the 50-Freestyle. Cornell's 1,491 points are the most the Big Red has scored since netting 1,441 in its last podium finish at the event in 2019.

The Akron Zips took home the team championship with 2,086 points, 316 ahead of second-place UC Santa Barbara. Oakland (1,136), Keiser (704), Clarion (544), and Eastern Illinois (242). Cornell heads into its winter break with a 5-1 overall record and 3-1 in Ivy League competition, matching its start from the 2022-23 season.

UP NEXT
Cornell will return to action on Sunday, Jan.14, 2024, when it continues Ivy League competition against the Columbia Lions from Percy Uris Natatorium.