Aquamen Make Waves; Torpedo Brown, 83-49

The Harvard men's swimming team notched a resounding 74-39 victory over Brown last night at Blodgett Pool in front of a crowd of 200.

The Crimson started the night off right with a sweep of the 400-yd. medley relay. Tri-Captain Peter Egan and teammates Dan Sinkowitz, Paul Ryder and Bob Morrison finished in 3:36.00 to grab first. Another Harvard quartet--Rob Perkins, Clay Miller, Lars Reierson and Keith Kaplan--came in a close second at 3:40.92. Brown claimed the third and fourth spots, but got no points for their effort.

The 200-yd. individual medley boasted similar results. Crimson swimmers Dave Berkoff and Paul Ryder grabbed first and second, with Mark Brilliant of Brown finishing a full four seconds later.

But the short freestyle heats presented problems for Harvard. The Bruins outswam the Crimson in the 50-yd., 100-yd., and 400-yd. freestyle, accounting for 18 of their 39 points--and their only first place finishes of the evening.

The 50-yd. freestyle was particularly close, as the total time difference between the top three swimmers was less than one second. Brown's Bill Barr had the edge, however, with Harvard's Kaplan and Chris Gould settling for second and third.

Only three divers attempted the one-and three-meter dives. In both categories, Crimson Tri-Captain Dan Watson placed first, with Pat Hedy third and Brown's Charles Chester second off the boards.

"It's a young team--the skills and techniques need polishing," Harvard Coach Joe Bernal said. "These meets give us a chance to use underclassmen and are just a rehearsal for Princeton and the Eastern Championships."

Princeton, which visits Cambridge in early February, will be Harvard's toughest opponent and could threaten the Crimson's bid for eight straight Eastern Championship titles.

"It's hard to consistently win championships," Bernal warned.

Harvard, host of the Easterns, is heavily favored. If the Crimson succeeds in nabbing an eighth consecutive championship, it will break an Eastern record held by Yale.

"I obviously want to win the championship," Bernal said, "but I would hate to think Harvard is spoiled. If the Eastern Championship is taken for granted, the team will lose motivation and enthusiasm."