Despite an outstanding performance by Steve Kruse, Harvard lost to a powerful Dartmouth swimming team, 59-54, Saturday in the IAB to virtually eliminate itself from the Eastern league race.

The Indians, who hope to end Yale's domination of the Eastern title, were swimming their first league meet of the season. The Crimson is now 1-2 against league competition.

Krause scored 13 points by himself with firsts in the butterfly (2:02.3) and 500-free (5:02.5) and a second in the individual medley (2:02.5).

It was a comeback effort all the way for Harvard after the visitors won the first three events to build up a 20-5 lead. The most damaging of those three losses for the Crimson was Dartmouth's sweep of the 1000-free, usually a Harvard strong point.

Hope was revived when captain Mike Cahalan (22.2) and Paul Horvitz came up with a one-two in the 50-free to narrow the gap to eight points.

But then Dartmouth took three of the next four events to put the Crimson at a 14-point disadvantage, 42-28, and come within only 15 points of the score it needed to win.

Harvard's strategy was to draw within seven points of the Indians and then win the final event, the freestyle relay, for the meet victory. Dan Kobick started the rally with a leisurely triumph in the backstroke, and then Krause fought off exhaustion to earn a come-from-behind win in the 500-free.

An upset was beginning to seem very possible. Tim Chetin, however, let his Dartmouth opponent in the breaststroke, Bill Lehman. get too far ahead and never caught him.

Diver's Defeat

The loss put great pressure on Harvard divers Tom Wallace and Dave Silver. They needed a first and third against the excellent pair from Dartmouth, but only Wallace could place, coming in second with 274.30 points.

Big Green coach Ronald Keenhold put his reserves in the relay, and the Crimson's easy win was completely anticlimactic.