'Cliffe Swimmers Dump Rivals; Sato Excels in Four Events

The undefeated Radcliffe swim team, led by a number of sparkling individual performances extended its win streak Saturday by overpowering two strong aquatic squads from Mt. Holyoke and Wellesley at the 11th Radcliffe Invitational Swim Tournament. Radcliffe scored 96 points to Mt. Holyoke's 66 and Wellesley's 36.

Despite the lopsided score, the Mt. Holyoke and Wellesley teams swam hard and most of the races were decided by slim margins. A key Radcliffe victory in the first event, the 200-yard individual medley, set the tone for the rest of the meet.

Standout Performance

Standout performances by Nancy Sato and newcomer Wicky Royden helped lead Radcliffe to an unexpected trouncing of a well-conditioned Mt. Holyoke team.

Radcliffe just squeaked out with a win over Mt. Holyoke at the Wellesley Relays earlier in December and the rematch between the two teams was billed to be closer than it actually was.

Sato showed versatility and stamina by capturing first place in the diving competitions. She also swam the anchor leg for the victorious medley relay team, won the 50-yard freestyle and finished first in the 50-yard backstroke.

Radcliffe swim coach Alice McCabe said yesterday that this change in strategy was a major factor in the win. "We decided to change our lineup to accomplish more depth," she said. "Because we had girls swimming events which were totally new to them, we succeeded in psyching out Mt. Holyoke and Wellesley."

Captain RoAnn Costin remained undefeated in competition by copping first place in the 100 freestyle and coming back to do a leg of the 200-yard freestyle relay which Radcliffe took in 1:51.4.

Double Victory

Butterfly specialist Connie Cervilla also swam in both relays and racked up victories in the 50 and 100-yard fly events as well. Her 1:06.4 time in the 100 fly qualifies her for Nationals in this event.

Breaststroking appeared to be the only weak spot for Radcliffe, as Mt. Holyoke swept to victories in the 50 and 100-yard breast stroke events.

Costin, referring to Radcliffe's new strategy and impressive team effort at the Radcliffe Invitational, said yesterday, "Cliffies win meets on thought and brain power."

This weekend, the Radcliffe swim team will face Newton College in a dual match which should be an easy Radcliffe win.