WEST POINT, N.Y. --During the awards ceremony for each race at the Eastern Seaboard Championship here at the United State Military Academy the school song of the winning swimmer is piped over the loudspeaker in his honor.
After two full days of competition, "10000 Men of Harvard" or any appropriate substitute has yet to be heard.
Not a single Crimson swimmer has finished not top of any race, and win only one day remaining Harvard was virtually eliminated from any chance of retaining its Eastern title.
Yesterday, Princeton continued to Pull away from the rest of the field ammassing 430 point in two days. The Crimson clings to second place after day two with 253.5 176.2 behind the high-flying Tigers.
Penn State currently holds third place with 203 points, and host Army is fourth with 172.
While unhappy with the results so far, Harvard Coach Joe Bernal remained pleased with most of his team's performance. "As a whole we are swimming well," Bernal said. It's just a few guys who are not performing up to their capabilities."
Once a team like Princeton picks up momentum, everyone on its thinks that he can win. That momentum really can push you over an edge, because it brings out insecurities in your own performance."
The biggest upset yesterday came in the 100-yd,, Backstroke, when junior and defending champion David Berkoof--picked by many to win the NCAA meet in April--was touched out at the final wall by Princeton's Richard Hughes. Hughes finished in 48.61 second--a meet and pool record--and was just .04 ahead of Berkoff's 48.65.
Close, But No Cigar
Jeff Peltier was fourth in the backstroke and Co-Captain Dan Simkowitz grabbed seventh overall.
Peltier came close to victory in the 400 individual medley but was forced to settle for second. Princeton's Jim Tuchler set a meet and pool record with a time of 3:53.86 while Peltier finished in 3:58.17.
Harvard Co-Captain Lars Reierson took seventh in the 400 relay with a time of 4:03.77.
In the 800 freestyle relay, the Crimson team of Chris Smith, John Ritch, Bill Bird, and Jim Cornish grabbed fourth place overall, finishing in a 6:43.39 time. Princeton set new pool and school records in the race with its first-place time of 6:35.72.
Bird snatched eight place in the 100 butterfly and Mark Shagena touched in 16th overall. IN the 100 butterfly,. Jim Lutz picked up ninth place and Stu Hirch would up 14th.
Consolation
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