Harvard 7th In AAU Water Polo

A fast Harvard water polo team placed seventh last weekend in the National AAU Water Polo Championships in New York. It marked the first time Harvard has ever participated in the competition.

Though unranked and lightly-regarded, the Crimson quickly moved into the quarter finals, then shocked the experts with a hard-fought 15-13 upset victory over St. Francis College, the eighth-seeded team in the competition and number one ranked college team in the East. In that game, sophomore Tom Mc Gill scored nine goals for the Crimson.

Harvard then lost a 29-13 decision to Corona Del Mar (Calif.), which remained undefeated, and won the national championship.

But with a strong offense sparked by Leland Faust and Dave Powlison, and a tight defense bolstered by goalie Phil Whitten and Terry Flanagan, Harvard downed Fordham University, 16-8, to make the semi-finals.

Free-Swinging

There, Harvard fell, 16-7, to the New York Athletic Club which finished second in the tournament. In the final game, a free-scoring and free-swinging affairs, Harvard lost to the Chicago A.C., 25-17, losing a chance to finish fifth. McGill scored seven goals in the game and turned in a good performance, but it was not enough.

The Crimson plays at Brown University Wednesday, then takes on Fordham on Saturday and Turts on Sunday at the Harvard pool. Harvard, now the number one college team in the East, is favored in all three games.