Senior Michael Im of the Harvard men's swimming team is on the brink of exploding into the NCAA finals.

Just halfway through the season, Im has already proven his authority not only within the Eastern Conference, but also nationwide.

The senior finished first in the 200-meter backstroke and fourth in the 100-meter back at the University of Texas Invitational, running down competitors from such top-ranked teams as Arizona, California-Berkeley and Texas en route to clocking two personal-best times.

Im was the Crimson's sole event-winner at the Invitational, which was held Dec. 1-3. Im took the 200-meter back in 1:44.43. His time was just .19 seconds away from the school record set by Tom Peterson in 1992.

"Basically, he's already blown his past seasons out of the water," co-captain Mike Groves said. "That swim was just incredible. We were all cheering for him on the sides and we just knew it was going to be amazing."

In addition, Im touched the wall more than a second before his nearest competitor, Nate Dusing of No. 1 Texas. Dusing had previously been ranked second in a College Swimming Coaches Association national poll of the event.

Im's time--his best by three seconds--was just 0.05 seconds away from an NCAA standard that would have automatically qualified him for the championship meet in March. However, because only four or five collegiate swimmers will likely attain that standard prior to the meet, Im has essentially secured himself a spot at NCAAs.

"Texas was an awesome opportunity for us to showcase our skills at a national-level meet," Im said. "Going into the meet, we knew we wanted to race the big programs that were there, and let everyone know that Harvard swimming belongs among the top-ten teams in the nation."