Aquamen Rip Navy, Avenge 1983 Upset

December 2, 1983--The Harvard men's swimming team's 4 1/2-year, 32-meet winning streak crashes to a halt as Navy snatches a 61-52 victory at Annapolis, Md. It is Coach Joe Bernal's second loss in over six years at the helm of the Crimson. The next day, his team will lose again, this time to Columbia.

November 30, 1984--Harvard strikes back.

With all the artillery of a naval warship and a all the determination of a once scorned leader, the Harvard men's swimming team last night avenged one of its most disappointing losses of all time.

One year to the day after the Navy men's swimming team ended Harvard's string of 32 consecutive victories the then-longest active winning streak in collegiate swimming history--the Crimson yesterday pummelled the visiting Midshipmen, 89-24, in one of the most lopsided Crimson wins in recent history.

As a result of its triumph before more than 50 fans at Blodgett Pool, the seven-time defending Eastern Seaboard Champion Harvard squad (now 2-0) reaffirmed its position as the Beast of the East and served notice to all that it's bigger and better than ever.

"I didn't expect to beat them. "Navy Coach Lee Lawrence said after his squad's first loss of the year. "With the freshmen they have in this year and the returning lettermen, no one on the Eastern Seaboard can get within 20 points of them if he [Bernal] wants it that way."

And last night at Blodgett, Bernal and the Crimson wanted it that way. The Midshipmen couldn't get within 60.

Paced by impressive victories from junior Peter Egan in the 200-yd, butterfly, freshman John Pearson in the 500-yd. freestyle, sophomore Daniel Simkowitz in the 200-yd. backstroke, freshman David Berkoff in the 200-yd. IM, and a host of others, the Crimson squad jumped out to early leads of 7-0, 15-1 and 46-15 and never looked back.

"We were shooting for 100 points, but I realized midmeet that we could have scored a million points and that wouldn't make up for last year," Egan said.

Caught flat-footed a year ago by a shaved and tapered Naval squad, the Harvard team had a lot to prove last night.

"We've envisioned this ever since last year," said Crimson Co-Captain Brian Grottkau.

"But we learned a lot from our loss last year," Grottkau added "We [this year's senior class] had never lost a meet before. We realized we had to renew our committment and push harder; everybody had to pitch in.

"This year we're reestablishing ourselves as the dominant force on the Eastern Seaboard."

Everyone certainly pitched in last night as the Crimson recorded its first major victory of the year.

Perhaps the biggest difference between this year and a year ago was the performance of the Crimson freshmen, including Bill Bird, Jeff Peltier, Chris Gould, Berkoff and Pearson.

Last year, the Crimson's freshmen weren't prepared for the Navy's sneak attack.

This year, they were one of the major stories.

"Sometimes freshmen go through a low," Grotikau said. "But ours have been shining from the beginning."

The aquamen opened last night with a stunning victory in the 400-yd. medley relay. The quartet of Berkoff, Lars Rierson, Bill McCloskey and Co Captain Bob Hrabchak finished a full four seconds ahead of its closest competition which also came from Harvard.

Crimson junior Tim Ford then took top honors in the 1000-yd. freestyle and freshman John Ritch followed that up with a victory in the 200-yd. freestyle.

Navy then got his second win of the evening, when Jeft Thompson won the 50-yd, freestyle.

Berkoff and Egan then-pulled off their triumphs, and Ritch then got his second win of the night, this time in the 100-yd freestyle.

Simkowitz and Pearson followed with their wins, as did Rierson with his in the 200-yd breaststroke.

The Crimson squad of could, Ritch and Groukan out the evening with a win in the 400-yd. freestyle event that Navy chose to .

Lost in the excitement was the splendid return of the Crimson's Ali-American diver Dan Waison from a year of Olympic training.

Watson impressively snagged the 1-meter and 3-meter diving titles.

THE NOTEBOOK: Harvard will meet Columbia, the other team to knock it off a year ago, on Sunday...The Lions are experiencing a rebuilding season because of huge-losees to graduation.

Lost in the excitement was the splendid return of the Crimson's Ali-American diver Dan Waison from a year of Olympic training.

Watson impressively snagged the 1-meter and 3-meter diving titles.

THE NOTEBOOK: Harvard will meet Columbia, the other team to knock it off a year ago, on Sunday...The Lions are experiencing a rebuilding season because of huge-losees to graduation.