Harvard graduates captured three bronze medals in this summer's Olympics, faring second best among Ivy League colleges.

Julia L. Trotman '88, who took third place in the European Class singlehanded women's sailing competition, became the third Harvard athlete to win an Olympic bronze medal, David C. Berkoff '89 earned his bronze in the men's 100 backstroke and Anna B. Seaton '86 won hers in the women's crew pairs race.

This summer's games marked the first time Trotman's category, the European dinghy class, was an Olympic medal event, according to Sailing Center director Michael S. Horn, who worked with Trotman as coach of the Radcliffe Sailing Team.

"Even when she was still in college, I told everyone that of all the people that I've ever coached, she has the best temperament for sailboat racing [of] anyone I've ever known," Horn said.

At Harvard, Trotman was also captain of the women's ice hockey team, Horn said. She broke her leg while playing Yale early in her first year, and couldn't play hockey or sail until late that season. In her first race that spring, Trotman sailed the New England Women's Championship in a cast, helping her team qualify for the national competition.

A two-time champion of the New England women's singlehanded competition, Trotman was twice named the leading woman sailor in New England. In 1987, 1988 and 1989, she was listed as one of ten outstanding college women sailors, Horn said.

The Harvard coach said he had predicted--correctly that--Trotman would take first place in the Olympic trials this year.

In Barcelona, Trotman finished behind gold medalist Linda Anderson of Norway and silver medalist Natalia Via Dufresne of Spain.

Harvard sent 19 athletes in all to Barcelona this summer, including current undergraduate Norman D. Bellingham '94, who placed fourth in the 500-meter kayak singles. Among the 19 werethree undergraduates who represented foreigncountries--rower Snorre Lorgen '93, swimmerKristan B. Singleton '93 and swimmer Simon J.Wainwright '93--who competed for Norway, the U.S.Virgin Islands and Great Britain, respectively.

High participation

Director of Athletics William J. Cleary '56said yesterday he was pleased with the number ofcompetitors Harvard sent to the Barcelona, themost of any Ivy League college.

"I think it's great that we reached that greatnumber," Cleary said.

Himself an Olympic ice hockey player--he holdsa sliver medal from the 1956 Olympics and a goldfrom the 1960 games--Cleary said he wishes theevents were restricted to amateurs, so that youngathletes would have the opportunity to compete.

"It's people like the Berkoffs and the Trotmansand the Setons and should be going," he said.

Cleary said Berkoff, who competed in the 1984and 1988 Olympics, may show up in Atlanta in1996. And Tim Bonang, assistant sports informationdirector, said runner Meredith Rainey '90 plans tocompete in the 1996 games.

Leading the Ivy League this year, PrincetonUniversity seized four Olympic medals--two gold,one silver and one bronze. The gold medals went tojunior swimmer Nelson Diebel, a Princeton juniorwho won the men's 100-meter breaststroke and themen's medley relay