The varsity swimming team will face Yale this afternoon at New Haven, where, for the ninth consecutive year, it will attempt to move out of second place in the Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming League, and for the ninth consecutive year it will remain in second place. The Crimson simply does not have the team strength to defeat the Elis; in fact, the varsity will find it extremely difficult to win more than 19 points.

Coach Bob Kiphuth of Yale has again put together a superb team, undoubtedly the best in the East, but which will probably not win the NCAA championships at the end of the month. In the Eastern Intercollegiate League they are overwhelmingly powerful, having little difficulty trouncing both weak teams and strong ones like Army, Dartmouth, and they will decisively defeat the varsity this afternoon.

The Elis will throw some of the nation's top swimmers against the Crimson in the finale before the regional and national championships. The Bulldogs have not lost a dual meet since 1945, and have not lost to the Crimson since 1938.

The Elis will open with a powerful 400-yard medley relay team of backstroker Jim Dolbey, breaststroker Joe Koletsky, butterflier Tim Jecko, and freestyler Roger Anderson. This quartet swims the distance in about 3:48. Coach Hal Ulen will counter with the best the Crimson can offer in Bill Murray, Jim Stanley, John Hammond, and Koni U1-brich. The best medley relay time the Crimson has ever done is 3:57.7.

The only event which the varsity stands a good chance of winning is the 220-yard breaststroke, featuring Jim Stanley pitted against Koletsky.

In many events, the Crimson has some of the second-best swimmers in the East, but unfortunately, Yale has all the best. Against Crimson star butterflier Hammond, who swims about 2:15, Yale will pit champion record-smasher Jecko, who performs at 2:08.

A real battle shapes up between Jim Perilman and the Elis' Hardin. The most unfortunate thing about this event is that Hammond is still bothered by an ear infection, and may not be able to swim at all. He will definitely go in the relay, but Ulen said that he would not risk injuring him for a second place.

There is a slight possibility that the varsity's Greg Stone can win the diving. He beat Yale's Doug Starkweather in the Easterns two years ago and may repeat.

All other races seem to be thoroughly in Yale's favor. Alexander and Sherman of the Elis do 2:14 in the 220-yard freestyle as against Dick Seaton's and Tom Cochran's 2:17. The 50-yard freestyle, always close, includes three Yalies who swim faster than Pete Zemo's fastest time this season. Roger Anderson has done the 100-free in the phenomenal time of 48.9 seconds. The varsity's best 100 man, Koni Ulbrich, swims it in about 53 seconds. The best the varsity can get in the backstroke is third, since the Bulldogs' best man does six seconds better than Bill Murray. In the 440-yard freestyle, Yale has a big edge and in the final relay their time is a full ten seconds up on the Crimson.