Senior Rassan Grant was the recipient of the Ulen Award, presented to the senior with the most career EISL championship meet points.

The unquestioned dominance of the men’s swimming and diving team came to an end this year.

Defending Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming League (EISL) champions—and winners of seven of the last eight championships—the Crimson found themselves playing second fiddle to Princeton this year.

It was the second time in the past three years that the Tigers stole the championship from Harvard, arguably ending a dynasty that had dominated the EISL for nearly a decade.

The team started the year with several noticeable absences from last year’s championship team, including would-be seniors John Cole and James Lawler— both of whom took the year off to train for this summer’s Olympics—and graduating captain Dan Shevchik ’03.

Yet the team, which included 14 freshmen, picked up right where it left off last year, coming flying out of the gate to notch several impressive victories.

The Nov. 21, 2003 season opener saw the Crimson soundly defeat the Columbia Lions 185-114, winning 12 of the 16 events held.

Senior Rassan Grant and sophomores Mark Knepley and David Cromwell led the team, each turning in multi-victory performances in the team’s return to New York City.

Co-captain Kemi George was particularly impressed with Knepley and Cromwell, who would continue to deliver throughout the season.

“[They] both had exceptional freshman campaigns for the team and they haven’t missed a step,” he said. “They’ve come back their sophomore year with continued resolve to keep building on what they had last year.”

Cromwell, who specializes in the 100- and 200-yard backstroke, would turn out to be the team’s most successful individual swimmer, finishing the year undefeated in all backstroke events. Cromwell and Grant both earned Honorable Mention All-American status.

The Crimson travelled to South Bend, Ind. for the Notre Dame Invitational, where it placed second overall in an 11-team field, before returning to Cambridge for its Dec. 8 home opener against Brown. Harvard won that competition decisively, 193.5 to 97.5, claiming 11 of the 16 events.

Fall exams meant that the team that travelled to Annapolis, Md. on Jan. 3, 2004 to meet Navy had been on 26-days rest, but that did not prevent the Crimson from turning in a decisive victory, 204-94.

Harvard destroyed the Midshipmen, placing first in 13 of 16 events. Crimson swimmers lost the three other events by a combined 0.36 seconds.

Cromwell led the team, winning the 100-yard backstroke by a 3.09 second margin and the 200-yard by 4.81 seconds.

George down-played the difficulty of bouncing back from the long lay-off.