Younger, Carver, Beukema Finish Strong at NCAAs

When three members of the Harvard men's swimming team traveled to Indianapolis March 23-25 for the NCAA swimming championships, the swimmers were faced with their biggest challenge of the season.

For co-captain Tim Carver, senior Rich Beukema and freshman Brian Younger, not only was the competition tougher and more grueling than what they had faced in previous events, but there was also something missing--the rest of the team.

In a year when Harvard's mentality has been focused around that missing link--the team--the three talented swimmers proved that they can perform well, even without their extra support squad present.

After all, this was NCAAs--the climax of the season--where the competition sits at the pinnacle of college athletics. And although the rest of the Harvard swimmers did not have the times to propel them to NCAAs, the trio still had a job to do for both themselves and the team.

Younger finished off an exceptional first season with the Crimson after virtually dominating in his events throughout the year. Younger, swimming in the 500- and 1650-meter freestyle events, finished with personal best times in both events, proving that he will be a major force in the future.

In the 500 free, Younger finished in 4:23.66. Although this was not fast enough to qualify him for finals, he was awarded Honorable Mention All-American for the performance.

Younger's finish in this event epitomized the high levels of competition in the NCAAs. The winner of the event--sophomore Tom Dolan of Michigan--broke both the U.S. open and American records with a remarkable time of 4:08.75.

"It was really exciting to swim with that caliber of swimmers," Younger said.

But don't forget that Younger is only a freshman.

Younger's best swim came in the 1650, which is not surprising considering that he already boasts Harvard's second-fastest time in the event. Younger finished a commendable eighth with a time of 15:06, giving him the prized All-American status.

"For a freshman going into NCAAs for the first time, Brian did outstanding," Harvard coach Mike Chasson said.

Younger attributed much of his success to that missing link--the team--an element that, although physically absent from NCAAs, was very much a part of his success.

"At Harvard, the team comes first," Younger said. "I have never had that before. That is what made me individually swim well."

Carver--competing in his third and final NCAA championships--left his mark not only in the water but also as a captain and leader.

In the pool, Carver took home 18th and 20th-place finishes in the 100 and 200 backstroke, respectively. Carver's 1:46.03 in the 200 back was a personal best time.

Carver traveled to Indianapolis as the experienced member of the squad, having competed in both the 1992 and 1994 NCAAs.

Yet out of the pool, Carver's influence as team leader was just as commendable as his exceptional performances in the pool over the past four years.

"This year I think that Tim Carver did an incredible job of captaining the team," Younger said. "I've never seen a captain dedicate so much time. Tim helps everyone focus on team first."

Diver Beukema qualified for his first NCAA championships by placing fifth overall at the Zone A Diving Championships at Navy March 9-10.

Beukema, competing in three events--the one-meter springboard, three-meter and platform--took home 30th, 29th and 18th places, respectively.

For Beukema, making the NCAAs was a huge accomplishment in itself.

"Anybody that I beat there I was really glad to beat," Beukema said. "They were all really good.

The platform event, an event which Beukema rarely competes in, proved to be a challenge. At Harvard, Beukema practices on a 7.5-meter platform, as opposed to the 10-meter platform which was used in Indianapolis.

But he placed very well nonetheless, as did Younger and Carver.

"The team did really well," Chasson said. "We would have liked to have won Easterns and gotten more people into NCAAs, but I'm sure we'll be back next year stronger than ever."