The NCAA Swimming and diving Championship got under way yesterday at West Point, N.Y., with defending champion Indiana clinging to a one-point lead over second place Southern Cal. Harvard, setting one new school record, failed to qualify for any final.

After five events, the Hoosiers have an unofficial total of 100 points, and Southern Cal holds second with 99, Harvard, which sent a three-man contingent to the meet with the usual entourage of coaches and managers, had a respectable showing but did not advance any swimmer beyond the afternoon heats.

Bright Spot

There was one bright spot for the Crimson, however, Freshman sprinter Tim Neville, who came into his own at the Easterns two weeks ago, set a new University record in the qualifying time trials for the 50-yd, freestyle. Pitted against Tennessee's Dave Edgar, rated the "fastest human afloat," Neville posted a very fast time of 21.250, missing the consolations by a mere .017 seconds.

The time eclipsed the former standard of 21.4 held jointly by Neville and last year's captain Mike Cahalan, and establishes Neville as the fastest sprinter in Harvard's history after only one year of varsity competition.

In the 500-yd. freestyle trials, Rich Baughman swam a good 4:43.00, but failed to qualify for the consolations. Baughman's time, while more than one second slower than his school record time set at the Eastern, was a full second under his Eastern trial time, which offers a better indication of his relative improvement.

Harvard's third entry on the first day was Dave Brumwell in the 200-yd. individual medley. Brumwell, swimming a good race, bettered his time during the Eastern trials but failed to break the two-minute barrier, finishing in 2:00.004.

In the meet as a whole, Indiana's John Kinsella, apparently still in top form, took the 500-yd. freestyle final in a phenomenal time of 4:24.49, setting a new American and NCAA record by over three seconds.

In the 200-yd. IM. Gary Hall, also of Indians, won yet another title and broke yet another record. Swimming the distance in 1:51.50, Hall set now American and NCAA standards, and appears bound for Munich in this Olympic year.

Dave Edgar of Tennessee, second to teammate John Trembley in the trails of the 50-yd, freestyle, came back in the finals to take his second consecutive title, Trembley's time in the heats was .001 off Edgar's NCAA record.

The 400-yd, medley relay final turned into a wild affair, with USC winning in 3:23:11. Three teams were bunched within .1 seconds of each other as SMU took second in 3:23:19, and Indiana, fourth with 3:23:21.