It is a season of great expectations for the Harvard women's swimming team.

The Crimson, last year's Ivy League champion and Eastern runner-up, comes into the 1987-'88 campaign picked by many to notch its first-ever Eastern championship. The three-day Eastern meet will be held at Blodgett Pool February 25-7.

Women's Swimming

1986-'87 Overall: 10-0

1986-'87 Ivy League: 7-0 (Ivy Champs)

Captains: Michele Engh, Kelley Taber

Actually, February promises to be a doubly exciting month for Harvard Coach Maura Costin Scalise, as she and husband Bob are expecting their first child a couple of weeks before Easterns.

Around the pool deck, however, Costin Scalise continues to coach intensely her troops, a squad of 36 swimmers with more talent than any other in Crimson history.

Eighteen members of last year's Eastern team have returned for another shot at the title. With the addition of 13 freshmen, competition should be fierce for spots on the Eastern roster.

But Harvard has much to accomplish before the end of February, especially in the next month. In addition to its big dual-meet showdown with Eastern champion Brown on December 8 at Blodgett--which should decide the Ivy League title--the Crimson will journey to the University of Alabama for an eight-team dual meet tournament December 4-6.

Each of the eight squads at Alabama placed highly at last year's NCAA championships, so the tourney should give the Crimson a good indication of how it matches up on a national level. Harvard's first-round matchup is with the University of Kansas.

In addition to the Alabama meet, the Ivy crown and the Eastern championships, the Crimson will have a fourth goal: improved success at the NCAA championships, held in March in Austin, Tex. Last year marked the first time Harvard sent swimmers to the meet, and it wishes to improve on that showing.

"I am really excited for this trip to Alabama," Costin Scalise said. "We are seeded third entering the meets, but all of the teams are very tough. We will be looking to make some Eastern and NCAA cuts early on, both in relays and in individual events, so we can keep are minds on hard training through the rest of the season."

Captained by seniors Michele Engh and Kelley Taber, Harvard remains a young team, with 27 of 36 members either freshmen or sophomores. All of last year's top point-scorers will return with an extra year of experience under their belts.

Sophomore Mia Costello, the school record-holder in the breaststroke events, has started the year impressively, posting early times far ahead of last year's pace. The Anchorage, Alaska native hopes to repeat her winning performance in last year's Eastern 200-yd. breaststroke as well as improve on her 12th place showing at NCAAs.