Undefeated Swimmers to Face Yale

Undefeated, but severely tested, two Crimson swimming teams close their dual-meet seasons at Yale's Payne-Whitney gymnasium this afternoon. The freshmen jeopardize their streak of eight victories at 3 p.m., before the varsity takes to the pool with its string of nine at 4 p.m. If either team wins, it will be an upset.

Hal Ulen has been coaching the varsity for 25 years, and during that time the Crimson has only been able to stop Yale twice, in 1937 and 1938. Since the inception of the series in 1907 the Elis have won 24 times, the Crimson thrice. This is the fourth year in a row that Ulen has brought his team down to the last meet unbeaten.

Second place in the Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming League does into feel as good as first, especially with the Elis in the upstairs berth, but whether the varsity can arrange a switch in accommodations is a problem. It will certainly take an upset to do it.

Comparative Scores

Yale sports a string of 112 straight victories. It has beaten eight of the Crimson's opponents this season, the most significant win being a 55 to 31 drubbing of a strong Dartmouth team which the varsity could only edge in the last event, 49 to 35.

But comparative scores are dangerously misleading because of one simple reason: neither Ulen nor Eli coach Bob Kiphuth has revealed his squad's full potential. Neither has yet put together his fastest medley and free style relay teams, for example. Times can be considered, however. Again, while they do not reveal maximum potential unless the swimmers have opened up, they more correctly lead to true evaluation. And here Yale has the edge.

Eli Times Better

Sandy Gideonse, Denny O'Connor, and Joe Burnett of the Blue have combined in the 300-yard medley relay for a time of 2:54.2. The closest the varsity has come to this is a clocking of 2:57.6 against Princeton. Don Mulvey, Ralph Zani, and Ted Whatley swam it, and Ulen is sure their time can be bettered. "We'll give them a good race," he said.

In the 220 free style, the varsity's best time is the 2:09.6 Crimson record sophomore Dave Hawkins set in the season's opener against Springfield on Dec. 12. This is one and one-tenths seconds faster than Yale's Marty Smith did against the same opposition.

Off the three-meter board the Eli's Ken Welch is heavily favored. He piled up 121.37 points against Princeton, while the varsity's highest total was Pete Small's 92.82 when the same Tigers came up to the IAB.

Inches could again be the difference between Yale's Sandy Gideonse and Hawkins in the 150-yard individual medley. When both were freshmen last year, Gideonse won in an extremely close race. Since that time, he has a 1:32.5 Yale pool record for the event. Hawkins broke his own Crimson mark with a 1:34.8 clocking at M.I.T.

Relay Team Undecided

Smith can come back to swim the 440 for Yale in 4:47.6, faster than the Crimson has shown it can do. Captain Charley Egan holds the varsity's best time of 5:02.1, but Hawkins finished an inch behind Dartmouth's Joe Hust when Hut was clocked at 4:48.3.

What Hal Ulen can manufacture in the way of a 400-yard free style relay team is not yet known. Ted Whatley, Alan Rapperport, Marv Sandler, and John Millard did 3:34.3 for the varsity, but this is far behind the 3:25.6 of Yale's Ed Howes, Brisson Wood, Mark Thoman, and John Niles. Ulen has admittedly not tipped his hand, but the Blue can also do better.

Purely on the basis of first-place times, Yale should win six of the ten events. But the situation is more complicated than that. Yale can well win more.

Strong Free-Stylers

The Elis have tremendous depth--depth of quality. No Yale swimmer will have to enter in more than two events, and most will only have to enter one. Hawkins is the varsity's top man in every event but the dive and back stroke. He can cut seconds off the relay times if he enters. But he can't possibly swim in more than three events in one meet.

Yale is loaded with good free stylers. Mac Aldrich, Joe Burnett, John Schafer, and Ken Abbey are only split seconds behind Donovan. They will give the Elis both top places in the 50 and possibly the 100, as well as practically a sure victory in the final relay. The Blue also figures to sweep the 440, with John Phair and Bob Fleming backing up Smith.

If the varsity is an underdog, Coach Bill Brooks' Yardling swimmers face a still tougher meet. The Yale freshmen can supposedly defeat the Blue first team. In beating Williston Academy, 47 to 28, they crushed a team which the Yardlings edged only in the last event, 43 to 32.

Yale's freshmen have won 116 consecutive meets, four more than the varsity has. Well-balanced, with talent throughout the squad, "it's the greatest freshman team Yale has ever had," said Brooks, "better than the one of Moore, McLane, and Marshall."

But this year's Yardling squad is no push-over, despite what Yale may find.

Captain Sige Falk broke the 200-yard breast stroke record set by Ulen's son, Don, with a time of 2:34.1. Pete Macky set a Crimson freshman mark of 3:04.5 in the 300-yard individual medley. Then both Falk and Macky combined with Glenn Sisler to establish a 150-yard medley relay record of 1:21.1.

But the short distance races swum against high schools are quite different from intercollegiate competition. If the Yardlings place any higher than third in more than four races, it will only be because the Yale coach wants to give several freshmen their numerals.