The Sweet Smell Of Revenge

THE SCENE: The Harvard women swim team's last dual meet of the season last year at Yale's Keefe Swimming Center.

THE EVENT: The last contest of the day--the 400-yard freestyle relay.

THE SCORE: Tied--the winner of the event takes the meet.

The aquawomen have not yet forgotten the results of that disastrous relay. Competing with a team of injured swimmers, including Terri Frick--who had just dislocated her knee in the previous event--Harvard fought courageously but fell short of the win by several tenths of a second.

Tomorrow the aquawomen seek to avenge last year's rankling loss when they take on the Elis at Blodgett Pool at 3:30 p.m. in the last dual meet of the year. Despite last weekend's dismal dunking at the claws of the powerful Princeton Tigers, the aquawomen are aiming to finish their regular season with a 6-3 record before leaving for next weekend's Ivy League Swimming Championships.

The Eli squad is the anomaly of the Ivy League. Boasting only eight swimmers, the Bulldogs nevertheless pose a powerful threat to the Crimson because of the caliber of their few outstanding competitors. Although they lack the Crimson's depth, all of the Yale swimmers and divers are ranked in the Ivy League top ten.

Sharon Vietz will lead the Eli charge because of her versatility in all of the sprint events. The top-ranked 50-yard freestyler in the League, Vietz could also easily take any event from the 100-yard free to the 50-yard fly. One of the best match-ups of the day will occur when Vietz faces sophomore star Kathleen McCloskey in the sprint fly event. Although McCloskey is undefeated in the grueling 200-yard distance, Vietz could prevail in the 50.

The backstroke events--Harvard's perennial weak spot--will go to the Bulldogs unless a miracle occurs between today and tomorrow. Although junior Gwen Gorman and co-captain Katie Kelley have notched personal bests in the backstroke events recently, Eli Sindee Simon is an overwhelming favorite to win both the 50- and 200- contests.

The Yale duo of Helen Hyde and Sue Doten might also prove unassailable in the breaststroke events, unless Crimson freshman Susan Kim can slip between them in the 50-yard contest. "New Wave" Kim, a precocious sprinter who dons Devo glasses and a gold lame vest before her races, could also place in the 100-yard individual medley.

Sure to star for the Crimson tomorrow will be freshman phenomenon Debbie Zimic. A versatile swimmer who could swim and place in any event, Zimic had one of the best meets of her life last weekend against Princeton when she recorded three life-time bests. A gutsy practice swimmer who broke the Harvard 400 IM record in workout, Zimic will shine in any event she swims.

Jeanne Floyd is another yardling who promises to have a good day against the Bulldogs. A powerful freestyler who is capable of winning any event from the 50-yard sprint to the tough 1000-yard distance, Floyd might be unstoppable against even the best Yale has to offer.

Other swimmers who are favored to add crucial points to the Harvard tally are sophomores Maureen Gildea, Terri Frick and Kathy Davis. Recovering from a debilitating series of knee operations, Gildea's distance free times have been dropping steadily since the beginning of January. Although she is not at the same level she was when she took the Ivy League mile crown last year, Gildea will probably be in good shape for the Ivies and Easterns.

One area where the Crimson will not have any trouble is in the 1- and 3-meter diving events. Composed of the powerful trio of Pam Stone, Adrian Holy and Cathy Josman, Harvard is favored to sweep both contests easily.