Nineteen-ninety-three is less than two months old--but Harvard's single-sex a capella groups have made the most of this time.

Less than a month after the Harvard Krokodiloes and the Radcliffe Pitches performed at President Clinton's inauguration in Washington, both groups last Saturday earned the right to compete March 20 in historic Carnegie Hall.

"It's been an amazing year," said Katie B. Guillory, '93, the Pitches' music director. "We're all thrilled."

The two groups participated in the "Road to Carnegie Hall" contest at Wellesley College, joining three other male and female groups selected from a pool of more than 30 male and 30 female groups, said Stephen S. Fleming '93, the Kroks' general manager.

Fleming said the groups submitted tapes and videos to be selected for the competition, which was sponsored by Streetlight Productions, a New York-based non-profit arts-promotion organization.

The winners of the national Carnegie Hall event, three male and female groups, will each receive $2000.

Tufts will also send the Beezlebubs and the Jackson Jills, its male and female a capella groups, to the competition.

The Harvard and Tufts singers will be joined in New York by the winners of a West Coast competition. The University at California Men's A Capella Octet will be the third men's competitor, and the Duke Blue Notes will be the third female competitor, Fleming said.

Allison F. Borchers '93, Pitches' business manager, said her group should "have a pretty good chance."

"We have a great group this year," Borchers said.

If the Kroks win the competition at Carnegie Hall, Fleming said the group will use their prize money for its annual summer world tour.

"A lot of the stuff we do on campus is benefits, so we can really use the money," he said