Freshman Bobby Hackett tallied yet another Harvard record yesterday as the Harvard's men's swim team triumphed over the University of Maine at Blodgett Pool, 72-41.
Hackett, who also placed first in the 200-yd. backstroke in 4:05.63, erasing the old record of 4:07.43 established in 1974 by Dave Brumwell.
"I was just trying to qualify for the Easterns." Hackett said after his performance in the race. Mike Coglin followed Hackett in that event with a fine time of 4:12.48.
Swimming to Qualify
In the meet, several Harvard swimmers swam events they usually don't swim so they could gain new experience or take a stab at the Eastern Seaboard swimming championship qualifying standards, Harvard Coach Joe Bernal said after the meet.
Malcolm Cooper placed first in the 200-yd. freestyle with a time of 1:45.17, and Julian Mack came in first in the 500-yd. freestyle, taking it in 21.73. Mack logged another first place finish in the 500-yd. freestyle with a time of 4:47.77.
Peter Farragher came in first for the Black Bears in the 1000-yd. freestyle with a time of 10:14.66, and his teammate Donald Winant grabbed first in the 200-yd. butterfly.
Crimson diving coach John Walker was not too happy with Harvard's performance on the low board, but said, "On the high board we were fabulous by contrast."
Bears Take a Dive
Walker called Maine "the best diving team we've ever been against." He also complimented Crimson diver Mike Total for "the first time he's ever put it all together." Toal came in first in three-meter diving with a score of 341.30.
Junior Jamie Greacen and sophomore Steve Schramm were also very good, Walker said, adding, "We still have some work to do."
Assistant coach Steve Berizzi said getting psyched for yesterday's meet was a bit of a problem for the Crimson because, although Maine has a fairly good team, Harvard is looking forward to Yale and the Easterns, while yesterday's meet meant a lot to the men from the north.
The Team Is Skied
But coach Bernal observed after the meet, "There's quite a bit of excitement in this place. We're generating a tremendous amount of enthusiasm."
"We're getting quite a few of our swimmers in the Easterns in events they never thought they could qualify in," Bernal said.
He added, "This team is becoming polished. This team has the signs and symptoms of being a fine championship team."
Harvard's next home meet will be today against Pennsylvania in Blodgett Pool at Soldiers Field, beginning at 2 p.m. The Harvard record now stands at 6-0.
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