With customary ease, Harvard's three lightweight crews up their 1969 seasons with convincing victories over the lightweights from Columbia Saturday afternoon on the Charles.

The varsity eight, coxed by Fred Yalouris and stroked by Dave Harmon, did not get off to the strong start it rowed most of the race at a 32 count.

Steve Gladstone, in his first year as Harvard coach, was happy, but not ecstatic, about his crew's performance. "It was a nice way to start the season," Gladstone said. The lightweights are hoping to duplicate last spring's undefeated record.

The junior varsity was even more successful in terms of margin of victory, winning by eight lengths. Tom Dryer, a heavyweight last year, stroked the Crimson boat.

The freshmen turned in a time of had hoped to, and the Lions enjoyed the lead for all of 30 strokes.

Harvard began to move and pulled ahead and then walked away from Columbia to win by 20 seconds in 6:07.2. The Crimson, as well as the Lions, 6:25.1, two seconds slower than the junior varsity, in its seven-length romp over Columbia's crew in the first race of the afternoon for Harvard.

The lightweights will return to action Saturday as they take on M.I.T. and Dartmouth in competition for the Biglin Bowl, which Harvard has won four years in a row.

Sprinfield Bows to Nine

Sophomore pitcher J. C. Nickens won his seconds game of the week with an outstanding seven-hitter as fielding errors and clutch hitting helped Harvard to a 6-2 victory over Springfield College on Saturday.

Starting his first game of the season, second baseman John Ballantyne lea the Crimson to its fourth win in seven games by going two for three at the plate and driving in two runs. But Springfield errors were often more crucial than hitting.

Springfield jumped to an early lead when its first batter, Juhan Laurits, hit a chopper in front for the plate that catcher Jack Turco decided to let roll foul. The ball stayed second and score on a single to right by Steve Steitz.

Harvard quickly took the lead in the bottom half of the inning. Neil Hurley singled and advanced to third on Dan DeMicheld's single. With two out, Captain John Ignacio grounded to third, but Steitz's throw pulled first baseman Alan Putz off the bag, allowing Hurley and DeMichele to score.

In the third, Hurley went to first on a fielder's choice and tried to steal second. Springfield catcher Kurt Ascherman threw the ball into center field to advance Hurley to third. Pete Varney grounded to Steitz, whose slow pick-up and bad throw to the plate allowed Hurley to slide home safely.

Springfield narrowed the score to 3-2 in the fifth without a hit. Ascherman was walked, and losing pitcher George Dixon laid a bunt down the first base line that Nickens covered. Nickens threw the ball into right field, and Ascherman scored Springfield's last run.

Harvard put the game away in its half of the fifth. Varney beat out a grounder to short and then broke up an attempted double play on Ignacio's bunt. A walk to Bill Kelley loaded the bases, and Ballantyne followed with a single into center field that scored two runners. Turco hit a sacrifice fly to right that brought Kelly home and finished Harvard's scoring.