WEST POINT, N. Y.--Color day two of the Eastern Seaboard Swimming Championships crimson, because the Harvard men's swim team busted out of some early-meet doldrums to dominate the day's events and bulge its already insurmountable lead.
The aquamen scored a whopping 204 points yesterday, with 17 finalists in the six events. Their two-day total of 432 puts them well on the way to a fourth consecutive Eastern title, Ivy near-rival Princeton took over second with 238; followed by LaSalle College with 230 and Columbia with 172.
For the third straight year, yesterday's 400-yard individual medley was nothing but Harvard with five Crimson finalists. After setting a new Eastern and University record of 3:55.70 in prelims, freshman David Barnes stroked past junior captain Ted Chappell in the breaststroke leg to win in 3:55.75. Barnes clocking and Chapell's 3:58.25 earned them both a trip to Milwaukee, Wise., for the NCAA championships later this month. Senior Tim Maximoff grabbed 6th junior Tom Vertin clinched 9th, and sophomore John Sappey placed 13th giving the aquamen 63 points in a single event.
"This morning I didn't feel it, but tonight it hurt," Barnes said yesterday of the grueling race.
Habit
The Crimson's habitual success in the long-distance medley reflects the "versatility and well-roundedness" of the Harvard training program, Coach Joe Bernal said yesterday.
In the 200 free, sophomore sprinter Mike Miao switched on the afterburner for the final 50 yards and just passed Columbia's Tony Corbisie to nab the race with a 1:38.56 clocking missing NCAA qualifying times by 5/100 of a second Sophomore Courtney Roberts placed fifth in 1:40.89.
The University's oldest swimming record survived one more year as sophomore Tony Meier's 50/39 finish in the 100 butterfly missed Hess Yatema's 1973 mark by 128 seconds. Competing with an injured shoulder, Meier took 5th in the event, with senior Jack Gauthier grabbing sixth in 50.59. Princeton's Mike Smith retained his title, winning the race in 49.09--a new Eastern record.
In the 100 back, sophomore Dave Phillips dropped a notch from a year ago, placing fourth with a 52.89 clocking. Yale freshman Darrell Rapp, using his awesome turns to the fullest, nailed the individual win in 51.57.
And the lone Crimson qualifier in the 100 breaststroke, junior Jim Carbone, churned to a 58.34 finish to score 15 points for fourth place.
Waves
Following the blueprint set in Thursday's 400 medley relay, the Harvard quartet of Miao, Roberts, Barnes and Chappell swam away with the 800 free relay last night, in 6:39.87, qualifying for Milwaukee and leaving the second place LaSalle relay more than five seconds in their collective wake.
The "sparkle of quality" is back with Harvard, Bernal said after the day's showing attributing the turnaround to a team meeting two nights ago. Bernal said the previous let down was "just a natural phenomenon for such a big favorite."
Men's Swimming, Olympic Natatorium
West Point, N.Y.
400 yd. Individual Medley--1. Barnes, Harvard, 3:55, 75.2. Chappell, Harvard; 3. Cummings, La Salle. 200 yd. freestyle--1. Miao. Harvard, 1:38.56, 2 Conbisiero, Columbia, 3 Maler, La Salle 100 butterfly--1. Smith, Princeton, 49.09. 2. Kelia, La Salle. 3. Seanen, Cornell 100 yd. backstroke--1. Rapp. Yale, 51.57, 2 Dirth, Princeton, 3. Martin, Army, 100 yd. breastroke--1. Sawyer. B.U., 56.93.2 Mintz, Yale, 3. Rogers, Yale. 800 yd. freestyle relay--1. Harvard, 6:39.87.2 La Salle, 3. Dartmouth.
Women's Swimming, Blodgett Pool
200 yd. free style relay--1. B.U., 1:36.63, 2. West Virginia, 3. Yale 400 yd. Individual Medley--1. Heon, Pittsburgh, 4:28.65, 2. Zimic, Harvard, 3. Millard, Penn State, 100 yd. backstroke--1. Simon, Yale, 58:36, 2. Chun, Princeton, 1:00.32, 3. Poirier, Brown, 1000.33, 20 yd. freestyle--1. Lind, Princeton, 1:49.61, 2. Jackson, Pittsburgh, 3. Richardson, Princeton. 200 yd. butterfly--1. Ritchie, Princeton, 2:06.78, 2. Jackson, Pittsburgh, 3. Phillips, Princeton, 50 yd. freestyle--1. Ujevich, Pittsburgh, 23:93, 2. Lind, Princeton, 3. Vietz, Yale. 100 yd. breaststroke--1. Ujevich, Pittsburgh, 1:07.85, 2. Woolfolk; Brown, 3. Tormey, Brown, 1:08.41, 400 yd. medley relay--1. Pittsburgh, 4:055.88, 2. Penn State, 3. Princeton.
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