The margin of defeat in the Harvard women's swim team's 84-65 loss to undefeated Brown at Blodgett Pool last night was about the length of a hand, as the Bruins touched out the Crimson in four crucial races.

"We knew it was going to be give or take coming in. We got a few and they got a few," Coach Vicki Hays said after the Crimson's first loss of the season.

Photo Finishes

Trailing only 20-14 after junior Shelby Calvert's win in the 1000 freestyle (10:40.63), Harvard lost three of the next four races by a combined total of three-tenths of a second. Sophomore Debbie Zimic could not hold her lead over Brown's Valerie Poirier in the 100 individual medley, freshman Diane Smith lost the 50 backstroke by inches to Lori Pride, and sophomore Susan Kim was inched out by Peggy Tormey in the 50 breaststroke.

But the Crimson again pulled close, 35-26, after sophomore Debbie Zimic pulled to a narrow victory in the 200 butterfly (2:09.91), and Smith took the 50 freestyle (25.17).

The Crimson divers, the mainstay of the 4-1 Harvard squad, trounced Brown in the one-meter event, bringing Harvard as close as it would be all night, 40-39. Last year's Ivy champion, junior Adriana Holy, prevailed over teammate Jennifer Goldberg with a score of 261.9. Later in the meet, Harvard divers again scored heavily as Goldberg combined with fellow freshman Missy Karas for another one-two sweep.

Upset

The highlight of the meet for the Crimson came in its sixth and final individual victory. Sophomore Jeanne Floyd, recently recovered from mononucleosis, defeated Bruin Elaine Plamer, the Ivy League's premier woman swimmer, in the 500 freestyle, recording a lifetime best of 5:03.47.

But even Floyd's spectacular effort wasn't enough to overtake the powerful Bruins, who proceeded to sweep the 50 butterfly and nail down the win with only two events remaining.

Brown, whose women swimmers have now won 18 consecutive dual meets since the 1980 season, will host the Ivy League Championships later this year. Defending champion Princeton is expected to repeat, with Harvard and Brown battling for second place honors.