24? Try 39

When TigerBlog first started working at Princeton, he read something that said that the Tigers had at least one team or individual national champion and had won the Ivy League's all-sports points championship for a certain number of years. Both numbers, coincidentally, were the same.

So, every time Princeton has either won the points championship or won a national championship in each successive year, TB has simply added another number to the previous year's.

When the men's lightweight rowing team won the national championship earlier this month, it kept the streak alive for 2009-10. Last year was 23 straight, so that made it 24 straight.

At least that's what TB thought. So he went with it, talking about how impressive it was for the school to have at least one champion each of those years.

Now, two weeks later, the streak just got a little more impressive.

It started Monday, when Gary Walters asked TB to put together a list of who had won the national championships for each year of the streak. It's actually something that TB should have done awhile ago and always thought about doing.

In retrospect, he should have done it years ago.

TB started by writing down each of the last 24 years and then started filling in the championships from each year, which he got out of the record books for each sport. Eventually, he filled in every year going back 24 years, which would be the year 1987.

Only he noticed that in 1986, the men's lightweight rowing team won the national title. As did Demer Holleran in women's squash.

And back it went from there. 1985? Men's heavyweight rowing. 1984? Women's squash.

In fact, TB was able to go all the way back to 1972, when Wendy Zaharko won the women's squash individual national championship.

Instead of a 24-year streak, it's actually a 39-year streak. That's 39 straight years with at least one team or individual national champion.

Twice during that streak, Princeton had four teams win a national title. On the other hand, there were four years when Princeton had no team national champion but did have a single individual win.

From 1972 until 1984, Princeton had a team or individual (or both) in squash win the national title. Between 1992 and 2003, Princeton won nine NCAA lacrosse championships (six for the men, three for the women).

And yes, all of these national titles have occurred in either rowing, squash, fencing, lacrosse, swimming and diving or track and field. As TB said when he thought it was 24, though, it's still impressive.

What about next year? Who knows. The streak has to end at some point. Still, there will be no shortage of contenders.

If Princeton does get one, it'll be 40 straight years, not 25.

The Ivy League all-sports championship? If Princeton can win again, that'd be 25.

Well, at least TB has always thought so.

Maybe he should go look that up also.

While he does that, here's the complete list of Princeton national champions from 1972-2010:


2010 – men’s lightweight rowing
2009 – men’s lightweight rowing, women’s squash
2008 – women’s squash
2007 – women’s squash
2006 – women’s open rowing (1st varsity 8), Yasser El Halaby (squash),
2005 – Yasser El Halaby (squash)
2004 – Yasser El Halaby (squash)
2003 – women’s lightweight rowing, women’s lacrosse, Yasser El Halaby (squash)
2002 – women’s lightweight rowing, women’s lacrosse, Tora Harris (indoor and outdoor high jump)
2001 – women’s lightweight rowing, men’s lacrosse, Soren Thompson (epee fencing), David Yik (men’s squash
2000 – women’s lightweight rowing, Eva Petchnigg (foil fencing), Julia Beaver (women’s squash), Peter Yik (men’s squash
1999 – women’s squash, women’s lightweight rowing, Julia Beaver (women’s squash), Peter Yik (men’s squash)
1998 – men’s lacrosse, men’s heavweight rowing, men’s lightweight rowing, women’s squash
1997 – men’s lacrosse, Katherine Johnson (women’s squash)
1996 – men’s lacrosse, men’s lightweight rowing, men’s heavyweight rowing, Max Pekarev (saber fencing)
1995 – women’s open rowing
1994 – men’s lacrosse, women’s lacrosse, men’s lightweight rowing, women’s open rowing, Harald Winkmann (epee fencing)
1993 – men’s squash, women’s open rowing
1992 – men’s lacrosse
1991 – women’s squash
1990 – women’s open rowing, men’s swimming 200-yard medley relay (Mike Ross, Ty Nelson, Leroy Kim, Erik Osborn)
1989 – men’s lightweight rowing , women’s squash, Demer Holleran (women’s squash), Jeff Stanley (men’s squash), men’s swimming 200-yard medley relay (Mike Ross, Ty Nelson, Rich Korhammer, Rob Musslewhite)
1988 – men’s lightweight rowing, Jeff Stanley (men’s squash)
1987 – Demer Holleran (women’s squash)
1986 – men’s lightweight rowing, Demer Holleran (women’s squash)
1985 – men’s heavyweight rowing
1984 – women’s squash
1983 – women’s squash
1982 – men’s squash
1981 – women’s squash, John Nimik (men’s squash)
1980 – women’s squash
1979 – women’s squash
1978 - women’s squash
1977 – men’s squash
1976 – women’s squash, Nancy Gengler (women’s squash)
1975 – women’s squash, men’s squash, Wendy Zaharko (women’s squash)
1974 – women’s squash, men’s squash, Wendy Zaharko (women’s squash)
1973 – women’s squash, Cathy Corcione (100 butterfly, 100 free), 200-yard freestyle relay (Cathy Corcione, Jane Fremon, Barb Franks, Carol Brown)
1972 – Wendy Zaharko (women’s squash), Charlie Campbell (200-yard backstroke)