W. Swimming Marches On

Yes, Harvard sports fans. There were other contests last night that didn't involve Yale.

While the men's and women's basketball teams and the men's hockey team emerged victorious against the hated Elis, the women's swimmers had a dual meet against Cornell in Blodgett Pool.

Of course, the result was no different.

As the road to Buffalo and the Eastern Championships continues, the Crimson won its last dual meet of the season by a commanding 181-110 margin.

Harvard (5-2, 5-2 Ivy) jumped out to a big early lead and was never seriously threatened.

The 200 medley relay team of freshman Alexa Zeisger, sophmore Deborah Kory, senior Lynn Kelley, and senior Laura Alonso posted a time of 1:51.33 to spot Harvard to a 15-2 lead after one event.

A prelude to a pasting, and Harvard delivered.

Most of the swimmers worked in off-events--those in which they don't normally specialize in--just to get the feel of competition rather than concentrate on times.

"Our times weren't the best of the year, but that's OK at this point of the season," sophomore Kristen Gately said, who won the 50 freestyle and the 100 backstroke. "It was just good to get in and race."

Head Coach Maura Costin-Scalise was impressed by her team's performance, but she downplayed the significance of the win.

"Teams like ours that gear towards the Eastern Meet use these dual meets for experience," she said. "The true test is who can swim fastest in the championships.

"Of course, it's always great to finish the dual meet season with a win. Everybody had solid performances. But the Easterns are what really matter."

That comment aside, the Crimson put some good numbers on the board in almost every event. Cornell only outscored Harvard in four events--the 200 breaststroke, 200 individual medley and both one and three-meter diving--and most of the swimmers were as confident as Gately after the meet.

"I swam really well--I'm pretty pleased with both the team and my own personal performance," Gately said.

Asked if the team was ready for the big challenge in Buffalo in two weeks, Gately was emphatically positive.

"Yeah, I think we've got a great shot at doing well in the Easterns," she said. "The way the meet is set up really tends to favor us; team depth is important, and whereas we really don't have a lot of stars on the team, we go really deep.

"On the whole, I really like our chances," she said.

The win against Cornell marks the Crimson's second consecutive win against Ivy competition, having beaten Pennsylvania 187-93 back on February 7.

In addition to Gately's strong performance, several other Crimson swimmers tallied impressive times.

Harvard finished 1-2-3 in the 100 breaststroke, Kory's time of 1:09.03 leading the pack. Freshman Greta Steffenson also posted a solid 10:27.50 mark in the 1000 freestyle, and junior Sabrina Corlette paced the field with her time of 57.01 in the 100 freestyle.