The powerful Yale swimming team set six pool records and swept eight of the 11 meet events to win an expected 67-27 victory at the IAB Pool Saturday, but the top performance of the day came from a Harvard man, freestyler Dave Abramson.
In what coach Bill Brooks called "the greatest swimming race I've ever seen." Abramson cut a phenomental 8.5 seconds off his best time in the 500-yard freestyle to beat Eli favorite Lyn Straw. Abramson jumped to an early lead, and held it for half the race before Straw made his bid. The Yale star pulled slightly ahead, but Abramson refused to fall more than half a body-length behind. With 75 yards left to swim, Abramson pulled even, but his turn was slow at the start of the final 50 yards and Straw regained the lead. Abramson, in a tremendous effort, sprinted ahead in the last length to win by a touch.
His time of 5:05.2, establishing new University and pool records, was the fastest time in the East for the event this year.
Harvard had a second moment of greatness as John Pringle and Bill Chadsey both upset Dale Kelfer in the 200-yard breast stroke. Pringle won the event handily in 2:13.5, but the big surprise was Chadsey, who touched out Keifer, his former high school teammate at New Trier, for second place.
The only other Crimson first came in the three-meter dive, where Dan Mahoney outclassed Yale's Steve Whitaker. Jeff Lewy finished third for the Crimson.
Yale dominated the rest of the meet. The Elis began by winning the 400-yard medley relay by nearly half a pool length, and in the next event Dave Lyons and Charles Mussman swept the 200-yard freestyle in a record time for the pool of 1:48.6. Yale's top freestyle sprinters, Steve Clark and Mike Austin, swept the 50-yard free event in an unusually slow time of 22.1.
The Elis broke pool records in five events following the dive. Townsend won the individual medley in 2:03.3. In this same event two men were disqualified: Pringle, for an illegal kick, and Kelfer, for missing his backstroke-breaststroke turn. The versatile Clark came back to win the 200-yard butterfly in 2:02.8; Austin won the 100-yard freestyle in 48.4; Goettache easily won the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 2:01.2; and the free relay team of Galton, Mussman, Lyons and Austin won the event with ease in 3:15.5.
Medley relay: 1) Yale (Goettache, Cooke, Rankin, Rice) 3:49.2; 200-yd. freestyle: 1) Lyons-Y, 1:48.6; 2) Mussman-Y; 3) Abramson-H (new pool record); 50-yd. freestyle: 1) Clark-Y. 22.1; 2) Austin-Y; 3) Miller-H; Ind. medley: 1) Townsen-Y, 2:03.3; 2) Brandling-Bennett-H (pool record. Old record 2:05.2 by Burgess, Yale, 1961); Diving: 1) Mahoney-H; 2) Whitaker-Y; 3) Lewy-H.
200-yd. butterfly: 1) Clark-Y, 2:02.8; 2) Finch-Y; 3) Engelberg-H (new pool record. Old record 2:04.3 by Karetsky, Yale, 1961); 100-yd. freestyle: 1) Austin-Y, 48.4; 2) Rice-Y; 3) Skalinder-H (new pool record. Old record 48.6, by Kaufmann, Harvard, 1962); 200-yd. backstroke: 1) Goettsche-Y, 2:01.2; 2) Stevens-Y; 3) Bennett-H (new pool record. Old record 2:01.4 by Graef, Princeton, 1962); 500-yd. freestyle: 1) Abramson-H, 5:05.2; 2) Straw-Y; 3) Townsend-Y (new pool and Harvard record. Old records 2:13.7 by Abramson, Harvard, 1963); 200-yd. breaststroke: 1) Pringle-H, 2:18.5; 2) Chadsey-H; 3) Kelfer-Y; 400-yd. free relay: 1) Yale (Galton, Mussman, Lyons, Austin) 3:15.5 (new pool record).
Read more in News
Unbeaten Netmen Expected to Top Dartmouth Today