Next Stop, Eastern Seaboards

When your male counterparts have won eight Eastern championships in a row, it might be hard to get excited about a single Ivy League title.

Unless you're the Harvard women's swimming team.

And the Ivy crown is the first ever in the history of the program.

That was the story of the 1985-'86 Crimson aquawomen. And what does this year's edition hope to do as an encore? Snagging an Eastern title of its own would be a nice start.

"The men's team is working on its ninth straight, and I think its about time that we got one, too," said Head Coach Maura Costin Scalise, now in her third season at the helm. "I would love for us to be Eastern Champions. Yes, it's a dream, but it definitely is a possible dream."

Harvard finished third at Easterns one year ago--behind champion Brown and runner-up Penn State--and the team needs a strong year from everyone in order to vault past the Nittany Lions and the Bruins.

The Crimson had a good recruiting year, picking up several key swimmers. But Costin Scalise admits that, "We didn't do as well as we hoped. We lost two swimmers to Stanford and one to Brown."

Nevertheless, several freshmen will find themselves playing key roles throughout the dual-meet season and at the Eastern Championships--to be held at Brown on February 27 and 28, and March 1.

Fearless Frosh

Here's how the top Harvard freshmen stack up:

. Nina Anderson: a sprint freestyler from Ann Arbor, Mich., who should challenge sophomore Linda Suhs, the current Harvard record-holder, for the top spot in the 50 and 100-yd. freestyle races.

. Mia Costello: this breaststroker from Anchorage, Alaska is needed to fill the hole left by the graduation of Allison Greis.

. Sheila Findley: an outstanding young backstroker who may well leave her name on the Harvard record boards before she leaves here. The Champaign, Ill., native has already broken the minute barrier in the 100 backstroke this season.

. Jenny Meyer: perhaps the best of the Class of '90, this New Jersey native's strength lies in the individual medley. Meyer can also swim the distance events, but is untested.

. Mary Quinn: a butterflier from Annandale, Va., who has personal bests lower than the winning times at last year's Easterns.

. Kaari Reierson: another potential superstar who can swim just about anything. The Granite Springs, N.Y., native already owns the school records in both the 100 and 200 backstroke events.

. Michelle Sang: a distance freestyle swimmer who should do some record-smashing of her own. Sang ran cross-country this fall, but should be in super shape come February.

. Jennifer Turnock: a butterflier from Elkhart, Ind., who could emerge as a good one by season's end.

. Other freshmen to watch include Bridget Mahoney, Marianne Monahan, Katie Orenstein and Tatiana Zomopoulos.

Vaunted Veterans

The frosh will be joined by a solid core of returning swimmers, most of whom are sophomores. Only four seniors and five juniors are on the Harvard squad, compared to nine sophomores and 19 freshmen.

Here are a few of the upperclassmen who could make a difference:

. Karen Dehmel: a junior butterfly swimmer who should be challenged by the freshmen newcomers.

. Jennifer Greene: the Crimson's top diver, this sophomore has broken several records and is aiming for a top national finish. Greene teams with fellow sophomore Lisa Pierce to give Harvard one of the top diving tandems in the Ivy League.

. Tara Gustilo: a sophomore sprinter who should be a part of several Crimson relays at Easterns.

. Lani Nelson: a sophomore breaststroker who, when she puts it all together, can be one of the best in the league.

. Elaine Sang: this senior, the older sister of freshman Michelle, appears ready for a strong final season.

. Karen Schneider: a sophomore butterflier, who, with Dehmel, Quinn and Turnock, should make the butterfly races a Harvard stronghold.

. Linda Suhs: Harvard's top sprinter, this sophomore has already come close to topping her own 50 freestyle record this year.

. Janice Sweetser: the defending Eastern champion in the 500 freestyle, she may well be, as a sophomore, the Crimson's best swimmer.

Formidable Forecast

Overall, the Harvard women's team is very good, perhaps even great. But, like any team, it has its weaknesses. According to Costin Scalise: "One of our weaker areas is in the 1000 freestyle. We will have to move other swimmers into that race until Michelle Sang gets ready. Also, we have little depth in the 200 freestyle, after Janice Sweetser."

Still, the Crimson will be tough, especially in the other strokes (backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly). With its good divers, Harvard may be the team to beat.

A stunning 87-53 thrasing of co-favorite Brown earlier this week placed Harvard firmly in the driver's seat in the Ivy race, but Princeton could be stubborn, especially in its home pool. Penn and Yale should finish in the middle of the pack, with Cornell, Columbia and Dartmouth bringing up the rear.