Shooting for the Elusive Number Nine

Last year, the Harvard men's swimming team won its eighth consecutive Eastern Seaboard championship, equalling the record set by the great Yale teams from 1961-'68.

That leaves, say, an unprecedented ninth Eastern title, an Ivy Championship, and maybe a top-10 performance showing at the NCAA championships for this year.

All of which, you'd have to admit, wouldn't be a bad showing.

"[Championship number] nine will definitely be harder than 10," said Harvard Coach Joe Bernal. "This one is the toughest, simply because of all the young swimmers on the team."

Besides its ninth Eastern crown, the Crimson also has its sights set on winning back the Ivy League title from Princeton. After claiming at least a piece of first place from 1978-'84, Harvard has seen the Tigers take the top spot for the last two years, both times by virtue of last-second dual-meet victories over Harvard.

Last year, both the Crimson and the Tigers came into the meet at Blodgett Pool undefeated, but Princeton came from behind to earn a 59-54 decision, thanks to a victory in the final race by only .04 seconds.

The Princeton meet this season will be held in New Jersey on February 7, and Bernal knows it will be a good one: "Princeton will be tough, and we will be facing them in their pit with a jam-packed crowd," he said. "If [the Tigers] win, their season is made."

Star 'Shmen

Some of the swimmers who could make a difference in that big Princeton meet are members of the Class of '90, which is full of potential. "This freshmen class is the most well-balanced, well-rounded group of athletes that I have seen here at Harvard," Bernal said.

Twelve freshman are on the squad, and here are some of the shining stars:

. Stu Hirch: one of two freshmen breaststrokers, this New York native has a great deal of natural talent.

. George Imredy: a butterflier from Illinois who should do well in the stretch run.

. Ken Johnson: this distance man hailing from Seattle could be the best catch of the crop. He is desperately needed because of the graduation of last year's Co-Captain Tim Ford.

. Michael Lin: an individual medley specialist from lowa, who could be the surprise of the class.

. Jim Lutz: the other breaststroker, a New Jersey native, who should help the Crimson control that event throughout the season.

. Mark Shagena: the 1986 Ironman, a sprinter from Michigan who has already proved to be an inspiration after last weekend's performance.

. Other freshmen include Micheal Anderson, Jay Fisher, Matt Kittleberger, David Lee, Andrew Pardieck and Kresimir Peharda.

Returning Aquamen

The newcomers will join a solid core of established swimmers, most of whom are juniors and sophomores. Here are a few of the names that should be heard from over the season:

. David Berkoff: Harvard's best swimmer last year, a junior backstroker who can also be deadly in the individual medley. Berkoff finished third in the 100-yd. backstroke last year at the NCAA championships and owns the school record in both the 100 and 200 backstroke races.

. Bill Bird: a junior butterflier who should come into his own this year, now that he is out of Egan's shadow.

. Pat Healy: Harvard's best diver, a sophomore who needs to have a strong season to keep teams from stealing points from Harvard on the boards.

. Scott Hoy: this sophomore is the team's best returning breaststroker, who last year really peaked at Easterns.

. Keith Kaplan: the number one sprinter for the Crimson, a sophomore with super talent who must establish himself more.

. John Pearson: a junior distance man who should benefit from the competition Johnson provides in practice.

. Jeff Peltier: a junior backstroker who has spent time behind Berkoff.

. Lars Reierson: one of the team's co-captains, a senior who looks primed for his best year ever.

. John Ritch: a junior freestyler who is a good athlete; the squad needs him to perform.

. Dan Simkowitz: the other co-captain, who, like Reierson, is determined to exit in a blaze of glory.

. Other returing swimmers who will help at Easterns include senior Jim Kornish and junior Chris Smith--two sprinters who should make the Harvard relay a good one. Bill Cleveland and Marty Caverly are also potential point-scorers.

Overall, backstroke and breaststroke should be Harvard's real strengths, as the aquamen have both quality and depth in these races. Butterfly could be a problem, but that remains to be seen.

The sprint freestyle events look good, but could be better, while the middle-distances are set. Distance freestyles are good and getting stronger, as are the individual medley races. The divers need to have a better year, and they probably will.

Swami Sez

Picture this: Saturday, February 7, 2:54 p.m. Princeton 53. One more time, the last relay, for all the marbles. The final two swimmers head for the wall, the roar of the crowd, the stretch of the hand, and.....

The third time's a charm for the Crimson. Harvard wins the race, the meet, and the Ivy league championship with a 7-0 mark. Princeton is devastated and doesn't even challenge at Easterns, as the Crimson wraps up its record ninth straight title.

Final Ivy League standings: 1. Harvard (7-0); 2. Princeton (6-1); 3. tie, Penn and Yale (both 4-3); 5. tie, Brown and Cornell (both 3-4); 7. Columbia (1-6); 8. Dartmouth (0-7).