Freshmen Set to Invade Athletic Arenas

With each freshman class, each September, come new athletes to compete for the crimson and white. At the same time, every Harvard coach hopes to find the next All-Ivy player, the next superstar.

September is a time when all teams stand equal with 0-0 marks, when all coaches hold equally great expectations for the future--in this case, for the Class of '91.

Last year, it was Char Joslin, the only three-sport athlete at Harvard in 1986-'87, who proved a coach's (or, in her case, coaches') dream. Joslin starred in field hockey, ice hockey and lacrosse.

In the Class of '91, there could be another Char Joslin just waiting to shine.

The women's ice hockey team is out to defend its Ivy League title, and will get help in that task from Jillian DeSosua of Ontario, Canada, and Sue Culline of Dedham.

DeSosua and Culline will try to help a team that lost only one player from its Ivy championship team. The new recruits will join a team that has yet to reach its full potential, a team that promises to continue improving over the coming season.

At the other end of Bright Arena, the story is quite similar, with the men's team looking to repeat as ECAC champion. But the squad will have to repeat without Lane MacDonald, Allen Bourbeau and Chris Biotti.

MacDonald and Bourbeau are taking a year off to compete on the U.S. Olympic team, while Biotti has decided to turn pro. (See story on page C1.)

A number of prospects will hope to crack the Crimson's starting line-up and send Harvard to a third straight NCAA Final Four appearance. The recruits include: John Biotti, Chris' younger brother, of Newton; Pete Ciavaglia of Synder, Ted Donato of Dedham; Michael Francis of Braintree; Matt Silwa of Acton; Eric Vandal of Seekonk; Michael Vukonich of Duluth, Minn.; and Michael Weisbrod of Woodbury, N.Y.

The five-time defending national and Ivy champion squash team will try to extend its Harvard record for most consecutive victories, which now stands at 58. The Crimson will be looking toward its JV team and freshmen recruits to hold off power-houses Franklin & Marshall and Princeton once again.

Freshman squash recruits include George Polsky of New York; Bobby Greenhill of Greenwich, Conn; John Masland of Philadelphia; Andy Goodstein of New York; Mike Foster and Raj Mahidara of Pittsburgh, Penn.; and Ernie Lee of San Francisco.

The Harvard women's squash team finished last season at 7-0--good enough for first place. The racquet-women will shoot for their second consecutive league crown this winter, and with two freshman joining a strong corps of returning players, the Crimson figures to be the team to beat once again. The freshmen are Clark of McLean, Va. and Daphine Onderdok of Phildelphia.

After losing its two-year hold on the Ivy League tennis championship broken last spring, the Harvard men's tennis team is looking forward to reclaiming its position as one of the top teams in the collegiate ranks.

The team graduated four members from the 9-10 campaign of a year ago, but the squad is looking to bolster its chances with a strong JV squad and two freshman prospects: Jonhathan Cardi of Morgantown, W. Va., and Ravi Krishina Kumar of India.

On the other end of the net, the Harvard women's tennis team surpassed its male counterparts by winning a fourth straight Ivy League championship and by posting its fourth consecutive undefeated Ivy slate.

The women have three solid recruits arriving: Jamie Henikoff of Wilmette, Ill.; Amy Delone of Concord (among New England's top three players, 18 and under) and Eva Marie Blazek of Kelowna, British Columbia.

After claiming its second straight Ancient Eight title with a 7-0 league record (10-0 overall), the Harvard women's swimming team is looking forward to nabbing a third with a strong returning team.

The Crimson also added 12 swimmers and a diver: Kyo Bannai of Menlow Park, Calif.; Lea Borkehagen (diver) of London; Lisa Bowman of Mission Viejo, Calif.; Fiona Fox of Charlotte, N.C.; Jill Hutchinson of Madison, Wisc.; Sandy Junta of Summerset, N.J.; Anne Koerckel of Andover; Anne Hardy of Wallingford, Conn.; Nicole Engh of Alameda, Calif.; Heather McCann of Sunveil, Calif.; Maisha Moses of Cambridge; Valarie Mellen of Sea Cliff, N.Y.; Mary Ruppe of Mishawa, Ind.; and Julie Hopkins of Palo Alto, Calif.

After having its streak of eight consecutive Eastern Seaboard titles snapped last year, the Harvard men's swimming team will try to regain its dominance in the Ivies in 1987-'88. To help, the aquamen pulled in seven freshmen: Dainel Hume of Ann Arbor, Mich.; Thomas Killion of Fairfield, Conn.; Johnathan Manson of Decatur, Ga.; Gregory Tull of Phoenixville, Penn.; Paul Watson of Armonu, Penn.; Albert Wolf of Bethel Park, Penn.; and Jose Zumpano of Miami, Fla.

The Harvard women's soccer team is hoping to improve on its third place finish of a year ago with the aid of a few freshmen prospects of their own to complement a solid, experienced squad.

Anne Klutz of Berkely, Calif.; Tracy Hackling of Center Point, N.Y.; Heather Jackson of LaGoona, Calif.; Suzy Carls of Wayland; and Jennifer Clawson of pittsford, N.Y., will now try their skill at the collegiate level.

The Harvard softball team hopes to solidify its line-up with three rookie prospects: Elizabeth Reilly of Needham; Elizabeth McNamara of Rochester, N.Y.; and Jennifer Klawson of Pittsford, N.Y.

And of course, many Crimson teams will benefit from the contributions of non-recruits and walk-ons--not to mention from the two sport athletes recruited for other squads.