Trio of Varsity Swimmers To Compete in NCAA Meet

The season ended for most of the swimming team at the Eastern Seaboard Championships last weekend at Yale, but three members of coach Bill Brooks' team are still working out in preparation for the NCAA Championships, which start Thursday at Indianapolis.

Bill Murphy, Steve Krause, and Mike Cahalan are all hoping to cap fine seasons with a strong showing in the Nationals. Murphy is not yet sure if he will go, but as perhaps the best diver in the East, there is no question that he is qualified. And added incentive for Murphy is the opportunity to defeat Dartmouth's Mike Brown, whom Murphy beat in this winter's duel meet but lost to in the Easterns.

Athletics Backseat

Athletics, apparently, still take a back seat to academics at Harvard. This is unfortunate for Harvard swimming fans. A fourth member of the team, John Munk, has qualified for the Nationals in the butterfly by virtue of his fast times, but Munk has too many papers to make the trip.

Krause, the Crimson's versatile workhouse, may swim in three events at Indianapolis. On Thursday, the talented sopomore will enter either the 500-free or the 200-free. The next day, Krause will compete in the 400-yard individual medley, and he will appear in the 1650-free on Saturday.

Krause, who holds three Harvard records, will be handicapped for the same reason that he was so valuable to his team. In the process of scoring 91 3/4 points this winter, Krause swam in a variety of races in order to collect the maximum number of team points as part of Brooks' master juggling act.

Most of the swimmers at the Nationals have concentrated on a particular event, and for that reason they have a distinct advantage. For example, Krause once held the world record in the 1650-free for the miraculously long time of one year, but he has not been doing heavy distance work this winter. Nevertheless, he has to be rated a threat.

Tougher Competition

Sophomore Cahalan, who will be captain of the swimming team in 1970, will enter his specialty, the 50-free. Cahalan won this event at the Eastern Seaboards in a Harvard record time of 21.6, but he will have to cope with some tougher competition on Thursday. The record for the 50-free in the Nationals is 20.9. Cahalan's goal now is to take a couple of tenths off his 21.6 clocking and then hope for the best.

Coach Brooks will leave with his group from Logan Airport Wednesday morning.