Strong Free-Stylers

The Elis have tremendous depth--depth of quality. No Yale swimmer will have to enter in more than two events, and most will only have to enter one. Hawkins is the varsity's top man in every event but the dive and back stroke. He can cut seconds off the relay times if he enters. But he can't possibly swim in more than three events in one meet.

Yale is loaded with good free stylers. Mac Aldrich, Joe Burnett, John Schafer, and Ken Abbey are only split seconds behind Donovan. They will give the Elis both top places in the 50 and possibly the 100, as well as practically a sure victory in the final relay. The Blue also figures to sweep the 440, with John Phair and Bob Fleming backing up Smith.

If the varsity is an underdog, Coach Bill Brooks' Yardling swimmers face a still tougher meet. The Yale freshmen can supposedly defeat the Blue first team. In beating Williston Academy, 47 to 28, they crushed a team which the Yardlings edged only in the last event, 43 to 32.

Yale's freshmen have won 116 consecutive meets, four more than the varsity has. Well-balanced, with talent throughout the squad, "it's the greatest freshman team Yale has ever had," said Brooks, "better than the one of Moore, McLane, and Marshall."

But this year's Yardling squad is no push-over, despite what Yale may find.

Captain Sige Falk broke the 200-yard breast stroke record set by Ulen's son, Don, with a time of 2:34.1. Pete Macky set a Crimson freshman mark of 3:04.5 in the 300-yard individual medley. Then both Falk and Macky combined with Glenn Sisler to establish a 150-yard medley relay record of 1:21.1.

But the short distance races swum against high schools are quite different from intercollegiate competition. If the Yardlings place any higher than third in more than four races, it will only be because the Yale coach wants to give several freshmen their numerals.