baity takes 200 back title to ithaca

Posted on March 7, 2009 by The Ivy League

09baity

Cornell’s Phil Baity relied on his experience and natural talent to turn back to the field in the 200y Backstroke final.

A year ago Baity was upended by then-freshman, Jordan Diekema, in Diekema’s home Blodgett Pool. In the preliminaries, Diekema proved that the big 2008 upset wasn’t a fluke as he threw down a vicious 1:44.33 split.

But something happened in Diekema’s night swim. He faltered in an inexplicable manner and limped towards the wall at a seemingly pedestrian 1:49.52 compared to his morning swim. And Baity used that to his advantage.

For Baity, the victory was part vindication and part vengeance. Dropping his 1:46.19 to an NCAA “B” split of 1:44.36, the senior took home the top position and the 2009 Ivy League championship. It was his last individual race as a collegian, and to go out on top is a special thing.

Congratulations Phil!

To view the race in its entirety, head to FloSwimming.com.

About The Ivy League

Founded in 1954, the Ivy League includes Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, Princeton and Yale Universities, Dartmouth College and the University of Pennsylvania, and provides the country’s widest intercollegiate athletic opportunities for both men and women, with over 8,000 athletes competing each year. The Ivy League annually finishes among the top conferences in the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics competitive rankings, and Ivy student-athletes annually compile the country’s best records in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Academic Performance Ratings.
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