Under the awesome monicker of Seventeenth Annual Invitation Individual Championships of the Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming League, the Easterns, as they are known to the less pedantic, slid away to a gentle start last night in the IAB.

First order of business was an informal reunion of coaches, judges and other miscellaneous friends of the trade at which acquaintances and feuds were renewed and gossip exchanged.

During the socializing, the 1500 meter freestyle was run off, with all six entries in the second heat recording faster times than any of the four in the first heat. Ray Ellison (19:26.5) and Joe Robinson (19:51.3) made it an easy one-two for Yale, setting what may be the pattern for the rest of the meeting. John Martin (20:09.5) of Navy placed third, Dartmouth's John Graf (20:24.0) took fourth, and Kent Simons (20:39.6) of Princeton, and Jim Lavell (20:41.9) of Buffalo Teachers placed fifth and sixth.

In the slower first heat, John Welsh of Springfield took first place with a 21:17.5, followed by Connecticut's Doug Fingels in 21:26.5, and Murray Kohlman (21:44.3) of M.I.T., and Kenneth Lee (21:46.4) of Cortland Teachers.

Immediately following the 1500 meter event all participating coaches retired to the Special Exercises Room of the IAB for a scratch session from which will emerge announcement of final entries and heat line-ups for today's races.

Time trials for the 50-yard freestyle and the one-meter diving preliminaries will be run off this morning at 10; 200-yard butterfly time trials, semi-finals in the 50-free, 200-yard backstroke trials, 220-yard freestyle trials, 100-yard breast-stroke trials, one-meter diving qualifiers exhibition, 200-yard individual medley trials, 400-yard freestyle relay trials will be held this afternoon beginning at 2:30. The finals in all these events will be run off tonight, beginning at 8:30.

Brightest prospect for the Crimson will be captain Chouteau Dyer in the 50-yard freestyle. In addition to Yale's Dave Armstrong and Rex Aubrey, both of whom finished behind Dyer's 22.2 in last week's Yale meet, Bob Keiter of Amherst, who reportedly has done 22.3, should offer Dyer, hard competition. The 50 being what it is, prediction among these four is meaningless.

Both Frank Gorman and Greg Stone are listed in the one-meter dive for Harvard; defending champion Frank Knight of Army and J.Douglas Starkweather of Yale are also strong possibilities. Knight must definitely be favored, and Gorman will probably offer sharpest competition.

Tim Jecko of Yale should walk gracefully away with the 200-yard butterfly; his 2:08.6 time in the Harvard meet last week is the applied-for N.C.A.A. record.

Leading Crimson challengers will probably be John Hammond, Sigo Falk, and Jim Stanley, with Bob Jaffe another possible varsity entrant.

Yale should be equally dominant in the 200-yard backstroke with Jim Dolbey leading the pack with a reported 2:09 plus, followed by Eli Bill Clinton, who has broken 2:14. Hammond and Bill Murray, both under 2:19, will be the varsity's hopes.

Barring the dim possibility that Bob Kiputh dilutes his championship 400-yard freestyle relay team as he did last week, the Elis are certain to win, with the Crimson a possible second.

Dyer may swim the 220-yard freestyle for the Crimson and would be the varsity's strongest entrant.

And the same must be said for the 100-yard breaststroke and the 200-yard individual medley, where Jecko, Charles Hardin, and Clinton should be unbeatable.