Fresh from its record-smashing season debut last weekend, the varsity heavy-weight crew takes on M.I.T. and Princeton on Lake Carnegie at Princeton today.

At stake is the Compton Cup, which the Crimson has taken for the last five years. Harvard should win again today. The Compton Cup regatta is regarded as the easiest test facing Harvard in this Olympics year.

Neither M.I.T. nor Princeton have fielded particularly strong crews this season. M.I.T.'s heavyweights have been losing to their lightweights consistently in pre-season work-outs. Harvard's light-weights trounced M.I.T. in the Biglin Bowl on the Charles last Saturday.

Princeton will provide the stronger competition of the two rivals, but should not be anything serious. Five returning lettermen anchor the Tiger boat, and Princeton will benefit from its recent recruiting of high school oarsmen.

Before the season began, there were some overzealous Orange-and-Black crow buffs whispering about Olympic prospects for Princeton, but Harvard should put an end to such nonsense today.

Princeton does have one of the strongest freshman crews in the East. Today's freshman race caused some concern before Ted Washburn's Harvard crew turned in its stunning performance against an even more highly-touted Northeastern boat last week. But now it appears that the Crimson freshmen are capable of handling any opponents, except perhaps Pennsylvania.

Next week's freshman heavyweight race against Penn at Annapolis will be the real test of this year's boat.

The M.I.T. freshmen are not regarded as a factor in today's regatta.

The third varsity shell races Amherst today at Amherst. Ian Gardiner, last year's varsity stroke, who rowed bow last Saturday, will stroke the third boat today. Coach Harry Parker made the switch in the middle of last week's workouts.

Lightweights

The lightweight crew should have little trouble today against Navy and Dartmouth, according to coach Bo Andersen. The three crews will race for the Haines Memorial Cup at 2 p.m. on the Charles.

A decisive Harvard victory could have psychological benefits at the Eastern Sprints, since traditionally powerful Cornell will be racing M.I.T. on the same course this afternoon, half an hour after the Harvard race. Today's competition will be the only chance for the rivals to observe each other before the May 11 showdown at Worcester. Last year Cornell upset the Crimson at the Sprints.

Against Navy and Dartmouth, the lights will be out to maintain their ten-year possession of the Haines Cup, which Harvard has won every year since it was established in 1958.

"Navy has not been impressive so far this spring, but they usually get stronger as the season progresses," Andersen said Dartmouth, whom the Crimson decisively defeated on the same course last week, should not present much of a challenge, Andersen said.

For this race the crew will be trying out a new stampfli boat, instead of the regular pocock. Andersen said yesterday that he has not yet decided which boat to use for the remaining two races, but that he is happy to have the new boat. The stampfli is shorter than the pocock and rigged slightly differently. "It usually takes some time to make the switch," Anedrsen said.

Very pleased with last week's win over M.I.T. and Dartmouth, Andersen does not plan any changes in personnel before the Sprints. "The group has developed very well together and they have almost realized their potential speed," he said.