Tomorrow's Harvard-Yale swimming extravaganza takes on added importance because of the impending retirement of two giants from the coaching scene. Both Crimson varsity mentor Hal Ulen and the Elis' Bob Kiphuth will coach the final dual meets of their careers when the two teams vie for the Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming League championship.

Up to this point, there had been considerable doubt that Ulen would be physically present at the I.A.B. Because of four operations performed on his arm and shoulder since last April, Ulen has been unable to take any active part in coaching duties this year, yielding them to his long-time assistant and Freshmen coach Bill Brooks. Ulen himself voiced last-minute strains of optimism, last night, saying "I'll try to get there if I can." He emphasized that his presence depends almost entirely on his condition Saturday morning. Surely he, the team, and the sell-out crowd would like nothing better than to see these two old masters square off once again.

Though the varsity outcome is not in doubt (Yale is expected to take their 182nd straight dual meet), Ulen echoed a prevailing thought that ex-Crimson star Dave Hawkins will have his freshman unit in the winning column over the highly touted Yalies. Perhaps this points up Ulen's hopeful prediction made last night--"No one will break Yale's record ...until Harvard next year."

Leads Varsity 30 Years

One could quite easily say that Yale has been the bane of Crimson swimming during Ulen's 30 years heading the varsity. Since 1929, Ulen's teams have won 226 meets, losing 44. Of these setbacks, 23 have been to Yale. His best years were with the 1936-37 squad, which snapped Yale's 175 meet winning streak, and the 1937-38 team, which repeated the feat of the previous season by defeating the Bulldogs to hold a 24-meet winning string for the Crimson.

Even partisanship cannot discount the work of Yale's head swimming coach at New Haven since 1918. He was also Director of Athletics there from 1946 to 1949, and head coach of four American Olympic swimming teams. Kiphuth's squads have a present streak of 181 consecutive dual meets, not having lost since the Army meet of 1945. In all, his teams have won 507 and lost a mere 12 dual contests.

While Kiphuth is undoubtedly better known than his arch-rival from Cambridge, due to the former's unbridled success as a producer of winning teams. Ulen's record as a coach known for getting the most out of available talent is equally impressive. Witness recent Yale meets where heavily underdog Crimson teams, though losing, have displayed some exceptional individual performances. In 1957, Crimson captain Chouteau Dyer took two upset wins in the sprints, setting new pool and college records. Last year at New Haven, the Crimson got nine points above expectations in a surprisingly good team performance. In addition, Ulen has guided 11 Crimson swimmers to national laurels.

Ulen's team will face an all-too-familiar situation tomorrow against a heavily favored Yale squad. Yet it has been Crimson tradition for the past 30 years to "give Yale a busy hour and a half."

Yale may not be too busy tomorrow, but no one could deny that Hal Ulen has had a "busy" and successful 30 years as varsity swimming coach.