A bronzed Harvard swim team, fresh from its Christmas vacation training in Medellin, Columbia, downed an inspired Dartmouth squad on Saturday, 68-45, with the team's best effort of the year.

Despite excellent times by a host of Harvard swimmers, including three double winners, the meet remained close as Dartmouth swimmers took many crucial second and third places. The score stood at 28-24 for Harvard after the one-meter diving event and the Crimson only led 56-41 just before the three-meter diving competition.

Even though Harvard All-American Hess Yntema swam an excellent butterfly lap, the Crimson lost the 400 medley relay, the first event of the day. Yntema swam a blistering 50.3, pulling Harvard from 1.7 seconds behind the pace and putting them ahead by 1.9 seconds.

Yntema also won two events, the 200 butterfly and the 200 individual medley, to cap one of his best meets in a long time. He swam an outstanding 1:55 in the 200 fly and a 1:59 in the 200 IM.

Paco Canales also took two races on Saturday, the race 1000 free and the 500 free. Canales covered 1000 yards in a fine 9:55, but in one of the best performances of the day, he swam the 500 free in the excellent time of 4:46. The 1000 free was very close as the first three swimmers, Canales, Peter Tetlow, and the Dartmouth freestyle sensation Coye all finished within seven-tenths of a second of each other.

Freshman Malcolm Cooper was a dual winner as he took both the 100 free and the 200 free. Cooper swam the 100 in 48.0 and swam a good 1:46 in the 200 free.

By a quirk of fate, both Harvard divers, Dave English and Roger Johannigman, injured themselves slightly during warm-ups. English hurt his back when he hit the bottom of the Dartmouth pool and Johannigman slipped on the board and injured his knee.

The injuries showed as the best Harvard could muster was a third place by English in the one meter diving. English recovered enough, however, as he went on to win the three-meter event later in the afternoon.

The Crimson aquamen now face a three week layoff until they meet the powerful Princeton Tigers here on February 7, in what should be the best dual meet of the year.