The Harvard water polo team, which just received varsity status, found that its new prestige didn't guarantee any victories, as it fell to a seventh place finish in the Ivy League Championships this weekend at Blodgett Pool.

As expected, first-seeded Brown took the title, defeating a surprising Cornell squad, 9-8, in the final yesterday.

The sixth-seeded Big Red began its surprising ascent by defeating the Crimson, 9-3, in both team's opening match Friday night.

The Cornell unit was a unknown--and, ultimately, devastating--discovery for the Crimson, John Hansen, the Harvard co-captain, said.

Hansen blamed a stagnant offense for the demise. "We were clogging up the middle and couldn't get good shots off," he said.

"Our offense just caved in," Hansen said yesterday, referring to his team's twin defeats over the weekend. First, Penn dealt the Crimson a 10-6 blow Saturday, and Columbia followed with another 10-6 count later the same day.

Harvard, which was seeded fourth in the championships, will take its act to Providence, R.I., for the Brown invitational next weekend.