The past athletic season was one of the most successful in recent memory for the Ivy League. But how the schools achieved their success is being questioned.

An Ivy League audit is investigating the possibility that students recruited for athletics are receiving indirect scholarships through larger financial aid packages, according to an article in Friday's New York Times.

Such quasi-scholarships would contradict standard Ivy League policy, which prohibits so-called "merit" scholarships in favor of need-based financial aid.

Calling the New York Times article "speculation," Jeffrey H. Orleans, the executive director of the Council of Ivy Group Presidents, said in a statement yesterday that "the article's implication of favoritism to athletes is unjustified."

Orleans called the current audit a "regular administrative procedure" for verifying compliance with the Ivy League policy against athletic scholar- that athletes have an advantage in receiving financial aid at Ivy League schools.

"Ivy financial aid offices make substantial efforts to respond to every family which applies for aid, from any circumstance," Orleans said.

Harvard football coach Timothy Murphy said yesterday that Harvard and other Ivy League schools should not give athletic scholarships to students.

"I really don't believe that's appropriate," Murphy said. "It should be based upon need and not on ability. All the students at this University have some [special abilities] and I think that Harvard University and the Ivy League in general keeps that in the proper perspective."

Dean of Admissions William R. Fitzsimmons '67 declined to comment