Crimson Swimmers Still Floating in Ohio; NCAA Championships Underway This Weekend

Ten Harvard aquamen and three coaches journeyed to Cleveland on Wednesday to participate in the NCAA swimming championships being held this weekend, Led by coaches Peter Orscheidt and John Walker, the Crimson swimmers and divers set the modest goal of just bettering their times not winning the tournament itself.

Orscheidt called this meet the second best in the world, ranking only behind the United States Olympic trials held once every four years. In both depth and quality, Orscheidt added, the United States is numero uno and this meet proves it, at least in men's swimming.

On Thursday, the Crimson swam Malcolm Cooper in the 50 yard free-style, Kevin O'Connell, the only Harvard swimmer who made this tournament last year in the 200-yard individual medley and the seventh-ranked medley-relay team of Tom Wolf, Ted Fullerton, George Keim and Cooper.

Friday's line-up sports the most participation by Harvard swimmers. Four men will race in the 100-yard backstroke event--O'Connell, Cooper, Wolf and Dunean Pyle. Later in the day, Keim swims the 100-yard butterfly just before Fullerton takes to the water in the 100-yard breaststroke competition.

On Saturday, Wolf returns to do battle in the 200-yard backstroke, an event in which he is presently rated fourth in the country. Fullerton rounds out the day and the meet with his stint in the 200-yard breaststroke race.

Wolf has an advantage in the backstroke because last year's Olympic silver medalist in the 100 and 200-yard backstroke events, Berkeley's Peter Roccam will not be able to compete because of mononucleosis.

Orscheidt said that USC was far and away the favorite to win it, since it has seven Olympians on its squad. Hounding the Trojans will be UCLA, Tennessee, Alabama and Auburn, Orscheidt added.

In 1975 the NCAA's were last held at Cleveland State and the pool gained the reputation of being a very fast one. What makes a pool fast? I'm very glad you asked.

The size of the gutter system is very important because a good gutter will keep the surface waves down and thereby increase the swimmer's speed. Also important, and present in Cleveland, is good lighting--a must to be able to execute good turns, the key factor in short races. Some people also feel the deeper a pool is the faster it is. Orscheidt said, however, it is mostly psychological.

In any event, no pun intended, everyone expects every record to be broken this weekend.

As for the divers, Jamie Greacen and Mike Toal qualified and made the trip to Cleveland, probably the last one they'll make to that city by choice. As has been reported ad nauseum, the key for them will be consistency. Without it, they might as well search for the supposedly non-existent nightlife in the home of the Cavaliers.

So Cleveland it is. All the big guns in swimming are there. And if it wasn't for the NCAA Championships, I'd feel very sorry for them. I mean, Cleveland on a weekend? Come on, get serious. I'd almost rather be in Providence.