CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Harvard Women’s Swimming and Diving team is set to dive back into competition on Thursday afternoon in Honolulu, where they will take on UH and Arkansas. The meet at Duke Kahanamoku Aquatic Complex will occur in two segments, with diving commencing at 8 p.m. ET/3 p.m. HT and swimming scheduled for a 10 p.m. ET/5 p.m. HT start time.
Key Insights
- This marks the Crimson’s return to the pool after finishing third at the Minnesota Invitational held from December 4-7 in Minneapolis. Harvard concluded the event with a score of 897.50, trailing behind No. 9 California (1,873.50) and No. 23 Minnesota (1,390) while outperforming Denver (795.50), Rutgers (702.50), and UNLV (559).
- At the Minnesota Invite, Harvard showcased impressive performances, achieving the second-fastest times in school history for the 50 and 500 freestyle events. Sydney Lu set a record with a 50-free time of 22.56 seconds, while Alexandra Bastone clocked in at 4:41.69 in the 500 freestyle. Additionally, Samantha Holtz recorded the second-best platform dive score (250.95) since the 2017-18 season.
- With a flawless 5-0 record (4-0 in Ivy League competitions) this season, the Crimson last faced an opponent on November 22, when they triumphed over Columbia 206-93 in their Pride Meet at Blodgett Pool.
- Harvard aims for its sixth and seventh consecutive dual-meet victories. The last time the team achieved six straight wins was during the 2022-23 season, while the last occurrence of seven in a row was in the 2012-13 season, finishing confidently at 9-0.
- This matchup against the Rainbow Wahine marks just the third encounter between the teams, having previously split two meetings. Hawaii won 76-67 in January 1986, but the Crimson secured a convincing victory, 152-75, in December 1994 in Honolulu.
- On the other hand, Hawai’i enters this meet following a challenging 179-83 defeat to UC Santa Barbara, which leaves them at 2-2 (0-1 in Big West conference).
- Harvard will compete against Arkansas for the first time—marking only their fourth duel against an SEC team. Previously, they faced Florida in 1989 and 1995 and secured a victory against South Carolina in 2015.
- The Razorbacks have had a lengthy break since their last competition at the Iowa Invitational from November 21-23, where they finished third. In overall dual meets, Arkansas holds a 5-3 record, with an 0-1 mark in conference play.
Looking Ahead
Harvard will host Penn on Saturday, January 25, at 2 p.m. ET for its Senior Day meet. This pivotal Ivy League matchup will be streamed live on ESPN+.
