The Harvard men's swim team made one final cruise through the friendly waters of Blodgett Pool on Saturday afternoon, putting the finishing touches on a perfect 9-0 season with a 79-34 dunking of Yale.
It was senior appreciation day on the decks, but sophomore breaststroker Jim Carbone joined three of the fabulous freshmen, backstroker Julian Bott, butterflyer Tony Meier, and freestyler Mike Miao, to draw first blood in the 400-yd, medley relay with an Eastern Seaboard leading time of 3:29.51.
First of Three
Presented with a tough act to follow, senior co-captain Bobby Hackett made the first of three victory-laden appearances in the water with 9:12.12 for the 1000-yd, free. Completing the first 500 on schedule for a sub-nine-minute race, Hackett brought the crowd to its feet before tiring. While missing his goal in that race, the veteran distance man returned to post a win in the 500 free and then anchored the victorious senior four in the 400 free relay.
While Hackett was laboring in lane seven. Bulldog Mark Loft is and Hackett's teammate Ted Chappell were more than holding up the other end of the pool. Loftis turned in a personal best at 9:18.14 with Chappell following close at his heels for a 9:20.72.
The Finest
One of the finest performances of the afternoon belonged to sophomore Andy Lockman. With a 1:42.37 to steal firstplace honors in the 200-yd. freestyle, the Maryland native demonstrated the depth the Crimson squad will have when it arrives in Hanover, N.H., on Wednesday for the Dartmouth-hosted Eastern Seaboard Championships.
Fewer Waves
Also winning, but making fewer waves in the process was diver Jeff Mule. The old one-meter board standard for six dives, 319.15 points posted by the since-graduated Steve Schramm, fell by the wayside when Mule racked up a University-record setting 324.95.
Making his final appearance at Blodgett Pool, Mike Coglin went out in a blaze of glory, winning the 200-yd. IM and, near the end of the meet, a 400 IM which was held solely for the purpose of qualifying swimmers for the Easterns, with no bearing on the final point totals.
Coglin also joined classmates Dan Kiley. Geoff Seelen and Hackett on that victorious 400-yd, free relay squad that ended the meet with a final movement of nostalgia in the pool that the four plus fellow senior Jon Roberts helped inaugurate in February 1978.
More Victory
Grabbing first and second in the 200 fly were Tim Maximoff and Tom Verdin. Maximoff is a junior, while Verdin, who specializes in the individual medley, is another of the talented sophomores.
Lockman, Chappell, Carbone and Verdin toiled quietly in the background last year while All-American Larry Countryman and breaststroke ace Dave Lundberg charged to the front of the class. All but the now departed Lundberg are expected to help shoulder the load of bringing a third straight Eastern Seaboard Championship back to Cambridge.
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