Columbia Should Provide Breather For Varsity Swimming Team Today

The Crimson swimming team entertains the Columbia tankmen at 2 p.m. in the IAB today, and even though coach Bill Brooks is doing his utmost to be a gracious host, the Lions are certain to have an unpleasant stay.

Brooks will use second and third-liners against the inept New Yorkers in every event except the butterfly, in which Harry Turner will swim for the Crimson, and the 200-and-500-yard freestyles, which will see Dave Abramson on the starting block.

One Hope

Abramson, the Crimson's big hope to score in the Yale meet in March, may get some worthwhile competition from Lion captain Bob Nash.

The Columbia squad, 0-9 in league competition last year, has won none and lost six against E.I.S.A opponents during the current campaign. Two of these losses were to squads that Harvard has already faced this season, and the comparative results go a long way towards showing what will happen today.

The Lions suffered a 77-18 pasting by Cornell, a squad that the Crimson trounced 60-35. Powerful Navy beat Harvard 57-38 but slaughtered Columbia 84-11.

What Brooks and company are really concerned about is the meet with Princeton, exactly a week away. Adding to the distress caused by Bill Chadsey's departure late in January was the news only this week that freestyler Bob Buster has decided to take a semester's leave.