Adams Wins Highest Swim Honor; Ulen Award Caps Sports Career

Harvard's Pete Adams ended a brilliant swimming career Wednesday night when he received the Harold S. Ulen award, Harvard's highest swimming honor, at the annual swimming team banquet.

The award is presented annually to the senior on the swimming team who best demonstrates the qualities of leadership, sportsmanship, and team cooperation exemplified by the late Harold S. Ulen, Harvard's first swimming coach.

Bill Brooks, the present varsity coach, called Adams "one of the most remarkable swimmers in the country this year."

"While most swimmers specialize in either sprints or distance, Pete swam anywhere we needed him," Brooks said. "I believe he captured as many firsts in the 50-yard freestyle as he did in the 1000."

Adams has been swimming competitively since he was 13 years old. "I learned to swim out of self defense when my brother threw me off a dock," he said.

Adams dominated high school swimming in Michigan for three years, capturing four individual state titles and earning scholastic All-American recognition.

"The sacrifices were unbelievable" Adams recalls. "We practiced six days each week during the school year and eight hours every day during the summer. Swimming was my whole life."

When Adams came to Harvard, he approached swimming with a new perspective. "Harvard's coaches don't want any animal swimmers," he said. "They really stress studies and other extracurricular activities."

But if swimming no longer monopolized Adams' life, it still dominated it. As a sophomore, he became a collegiate All-American on Harvard's 400-yard free-style relay and set a school record of 4:59.1 in the 500. Last season he was the Crimson's top distance freestyler winning seven races from 100 to 500 yards. Adams was also a member of the 400 and 800-yard freestyle relay team that tied and set respective Harvard records of 3:13.9 and 7:13.8.

After setting a Harvard record in the 1000 (later broken by Bill Shrout) and scoring impressive victories against Princeton and Yale, Adams completed this season with an outstanding effort at the Eastern Collegiate Championships. He finished seventh in both the 100 and 500-yard freestyle for Harvard's brightest performance in the meet.

Asked to balance his accomplishments in swimming with the sacrifices he has had to make, Adams concluded "it's too bad a person can't participate in swimming and still find time for other activities. But I have no regrets. I would do it all over again if I had the chance."