Mermen Conceded Microscopic Edge Over Princeton; Underdog Puckmen Meet Strong Yale Sextet Tonight

With the success or failure of his 1940 team at stake, Coach Hal Ulen will send the Crimson swimmers into action against a formidable Princeton aggregation tonight at 8:30 what promises to be one of the closest meets in Harvard swiming history.

Because Yale is the overwhelming favorite to win the league crown this year, the toughest battle and the most important one for Captains Eric Cutler and Al Vande Weghe will be this evening's contest for second place in E.I.L. standings.

As far as most experts can see, the two squads are virtually equal, with the Crimson just barely favored to eke out a win in the final relay. However, the competitors in at least seven of the nine events are so even in prowess that the score may well be determined by some of the usually unimportant third places.

Medley Critical Event

Tiger Coach Howie Stepp will be gunning for the initial five points of the medley relay but at the same time will try to keep his aces, Ned Parke and Al Vande Weghe out of the first event. His trio of Scammell, McClure, and Boozan versus Art Bosworth, Jack Waldron, and Lonine Stowell should provide the spectators with a genuinely rip-roaring race. Bosworth ought to be slightly faster than Scammell, McClure speedier than Waldron, and Stowell should be given a small margin over Boozan--according to past performances--and on the result may hinge the outcome of the meet.

Although the line-up cannot be definitely known until just before each event, Cutler is expected to swim the furlong against Parke. Both men have done better than 2:15, but the Crimson leader is favored to slip under the finish-rope first. If vande Weghe competes in the 50 against Jim Curwen the result can hardly be predictable, though Princeton should collect at least a second and a third here.

Princeton Weak Off Springboard

The event in which Harvard is conceded its best chance is the dive; past scores indicate that George Dana and Chet Sagenkahn will both nose out Peter Priester of the Bengals, even taking into account the recent erratic performances of diving coach Pete Peterson's best pair.

Best race of the evening ought to be the 100. Probable entrants are Jim Curwen and Cutler pulling against Parke again and Boozan. Since the first three mentioned are all clocked between 53 and 54 seconds for four laps, anything may happen at the final wall. Certainty of the meet will be Vande Weghe's victory in the backstroke. Bosworth will again have to stand off Scammell in a second-place battle.

Tiger Breastroke Sweep?

Art McClure and Stew Pach stand a fair chance of sweeping the butterfly 200 for the Tigers, but Waldron will be plugging for a Crimson second. If the contest is swum at all according to form, Cutler and his mates will have around 21 points to Princeton's 28 going into the 440. In this event, Ulen will probably withdraw Rick, saving him to bolster Harvard's already favored 400-yard relay team, thus virtually guaranteeing his men the seven final points which, added to whatever Ed Hewitt and Torpedo Van Vort can collect in the 171/2 lap grind, will place the Crimson in the admirable position of having scored the most in points first