M. Swimming Sinks Navy

One would think Navy would win every swim meet it participated in. But the Midshipmen didn't count on a strong Crimson contingent Saturday.

The Crimson (3-0) dominated the Midshipmen, nearly doubling their point total, 161-82, in a swim meet in Annapolis, Md.

"I think our team was a little down in the dumps and tired coming off of Christmas training and this past week. Competing against Navy helped to focus us," said sophomore Justin Nyweide. "Overall it was a boost towards our goals for the end of the season. Now our morale is higher and we can see the light at the end of the tunnel as we look toward HYP in four weeks and Ivies in eight."

The format of the meet was somewhat different than the usual arrangement of events. The two teams competed the "long format," which means longer events such as the mile, the 400 individual medley, and the 200 strokes (butterfly, backstroke, and breastroke)--instead of 100 meters--are swum.

Another variance that made Saturday's meet exceptional was that it was swum on a 25-meter course instead of the usual 25-yard course. Some teams have begun to "practice" meets with this longer course because this year the NCAA championships, which will be held in Minneapolis from March 23-25, will be run in a 25-meter pool.

More Harvard fans than were expected were in the stands, including the parents of several team members. This moral support was clear when Harvard began the meet with a win in the 200 medley relay. Harvard then went on to win nine of the 13 events, going 1-2-3 in the mile, the 200 butterfly and the 200 backstroke.

In the mile, the Crimson was led by sophomore Ben Hanley, who won with a time of 15:47.96. Hanley won the event handily, by almost 20 seconds. His teammates senior co-captain Brian Cadman and freshman John Persinger

Erik Patton, a freshman diver, stepped up on the boards. Patton placed second on both boards, but where his dominance showed through was on the platform.

The platforms are higher than the one- and three-meter boards, and are usually seven or ten meters high. Platform diving is also usually not included in the list of events.

In fact, Blodgett only has a seven-meter tower. This means divers must go from instinct when competing in the ten meter at other pools, making Patton's success is even more impressive.

In the 200-meter butterfly, Harvard was able to shut Navy out of the top three spots once again, with sophomore Ryan Egan, senior Jan Sibbersen, Cadman finishing first, second and third, respectively. Egan won the event with apparent ease as he finished a full three seconds ahead of the field.

The 200-meter backstroke was also a successful sweep for the men. Mike Im, a junior, broke the pool record, winning with a time of 2:01.24. His teammates, freshman Dan Shevchik and Nyweide placed second and third, respectively, with times of 2:05.01 and 2:09.82.

In what seemed to be the only down point of the meet, the Harvard men lost the last event, the 200 freestyle relay. The Midshipmen beat Harvard at last year's conference meet in that event, and it was the only one out of five relays the Crimson did not take.

Coach Tim Murphy had a meeting before the meet to remind the men of that loss. Losing a relay in this midseason dual meet, some team members say, will only serve as incentive to sweep all five relays at this year's conference meet, which will be held at Long Island, March 2-4.

Now more than halfway through training, the Crimson's meet schedule will soon pick up.

The swimmers will have a busy January and February, with six conference teams left to challenge.