Swimming Team Smashes Cornell

The varsity swimming team chalked up its 15th consecutive victory with an effortless 60 to 38 win over Cornell at the IAB pool Saturday. Although coach Bill Brooks used his top personnel sparingly, the Crimson still took first in 8 to 11 events.

In the first event of the day, the 400-yard medley relay, the quartet of John Pringle, Porky Pitts, Alan Engelberg and David Bennett easily outdistanced their Big Red counterparts in a time of 3:51.7.

In the 200-yard freestyle, University record-holder Dave Abramson knocked seven-tenths of a second off his pool record in that event with a time of 1:55.0. Ed Seaston took a third in the event.

Harvard won the next three events: Eliot Miller took the 50-yard freestyle (22.9); Pringle the individual medley (2:11.5); and Danny Mahoney the drive. As a fitting initiation of the IAB's new cantilevered mounting for the 3-meter board, Jeff Lewy took second after Mahoney to give the Crimson a sweep in the event.

Cornell's Gilmore drew first blood for the Big Red by outlasting Joe Stets in the last 100 yards of the 200-yard butterfly. Cornell had two other firsts as well-in the 200-yard backstroke and the 400-yard freestyle relay.

In perhaps the closest race of the afternoon, Crimson captain Alan Engleberg touched out Cornell's Frederick in the 100-yard freestyle. The 500-yard freestyle was swept by the duo of Steve Seagren and Mike McAnulty. Porky Pitts added the final Crimson first of the day with a victory in the 200-yard breaststroke.

This weekend the swimmers' schedule calls for a road trip to Penn and Columbia. The next home meet in February 19, against Brown.