Swimmers Journey to Navy

The Harvard swimming team, coming off a convincing win over Army last weekend that featured three record-setting performances, travels to Annapolis. Md. today to face a much improved Navy squad.

Last year, the mermen came into the Navy meet with a disappointing loss to Army behind them and proceeded to smash the midshipmen 77-36. This year, however, the opposite seems to be occuring. Army fell by an identical 77-36 score, and Navy has one of their strongest teams in years.

The midshipmen, led by freestyler Rex Hand, have the personnel to give the Crimson a fight in almost every race, and the result of the meet could hinge on the all-important seconds and thirds. The mermen, appear to have good depth. Against Army they swept five different races.

The meet could turn into a battle between Hand and Fred Mitchell, Harvard's outstanding sophmore freestyler. Hand, who won the Eastern 50 yard freestyle last year in a fast 21,4, and has a career best of 1:43 in the 200 yard freestyle, will be one of the best individual swimmers that Mitchell and the sprinters will meet all season.

There may be some interesting coaching strategy as a result of the strength of both teams in the freestyle, as both coaches will try to outguess the other in placing, their top swimmers in favorable matchups. Harvard head coach Don Gambril believes that the outcome may depend on where Navy puts Hand, and said that "what he swims could make a lot of difference."

"There is an added uncertainty about the Navy team," he added, "because we don't know if they rested a few days before their last meet (against UNC), or if they swam through that meet and eased up for us this week."

Both teams have strong individual talent, and are evenly matched in most of the specialty strokes, the dive, and the individual medley. Whoever wins the relays will probably win the meet, and intangibles such as coaching, mental attitude, and preparation may provide the margin of difference between the two teams. Navy has a far superior team to Army's, and the result of the meet may reveal a great deal more about Harvard's season prospects.