The Harvard women's swimming team took a 17-point lead in the Eastern Women's Swimming and Diving Championship at Blodgett Pool last night. But after one day of competition, the big loser was history.

With six events completed, five EWSL records, six Harvard records, and an uncountable number of personal bests were re-set. The Crimson also moved one day closer to capturing its first Eastern title. After finishing second last year, Harvard is the overwhelming favorite in the competition.

The Crimson scored 208 points, winning two events and placing second in two others. Penn State offered the stiffest competition, garnering two firsts and 191 total points. Princeton and Brown, the defending champion, were third and fourth respectively.

"My God, they swam fast," said an awed Harvard Coach Maura Costin Scalise of all the swimmers. "These times are great for the league, as well as for us."

The 200-yd. medley relay team of Sheila Findley, Mia Costello, Mary Quinn and Linda Suhs opened the evening's competition triumphantly, finishing in 1:45.16. Their time of 1:44.65 in the trials held earlier yesterday shattered the existing EWSL record by more than a second. That time also qualified the quarter for NCAA competition, to be held in Austin, Texas, in March.

Diver Jenny Greene earned Harvard's only gold in individual competition, winning the 1-meter contest with a score of 486.9. Greene trailed Penn State's Elizabeth O'Keefe after four dives, but received the best scores of the evening with her fifth dive, an inward one-and-a-half somersault in the pike position.

"I saved my best two dives for last, just in case I was in trouble," Greene said.

The 50-yd. freestyle afforded the renewal of the local rivalry between Suhs and Boston University's Sybil Smith. Yale's Lisa O'Dell, however, threw a shadow on that showdown by smashing the EWSL record in her victory. O'Dell became the first Eastern swimmer to slide under the formidable 23 second barrier with a time of 0:22.93.

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"I'm really thrilled for Lisa," said Suhs, who embraced O'Dell on the victory stand. "I could not have swum my time if she hadn't pushed us so hard."

Janice Sweetser broke the Harvard record with a 4:54.26 in the 500-yd. freestyle trials, putting her in the coveted lane four for the finals. Penn State's Denise Sonntag was not deterred by Sweetser's position or her own meager lane one alottment, and scored a big upset with a 4:53.68, more than two seconds ahead of Sweetser.

Sweetser was joined by Anne Hardy, Jill Hutchinson, and Nicole Engh on the 800-yd. freestyle relay. They finished in 7:28.13, more than nine seconds better than the EWSL record. The Nittany Lions from Penn State spoiled that also, driving past both the Harvard and Princeton teams in the last 175 yards.