M. Swimming Sinks Midshipmen

It's a tough life for a Harvard men's swimmer.

You have to head out to Hawaii over the break, see the sights, catch some rays and do some swimming while you're there.

Well, maybe "some swimming" isn't quite accurate.

"During Christmas break we always go somewhere warm and sunny and just get pounded with swimming," said senior Matt Cornue. "We are swimming about five hours a day which translates into eight or nine miles. After eight days of that it gets pretty tiring."

That is why the back-to-school engagement for the team may have been a little difficult motivationally and physically. Where would you rather swim, here or Maui?

However, the Crimson did not seem any worse for the wear in Saturday's 148-93 domination of the Midshipmen of Navy, a foe who didn't really strike fear in anyone.

"This was not a surprising results," said junior Denis Sirringhaus. "We've handled Navy before and they had just come off a shave."

However, even if the "W" was not in doubt, the results in the individual races may have been. Harvard thoroughly dominated the meet by taking first place in nine events, including top-three sweeps in the 1,500-meter freestyle, the 200-meter butterfly and the 200-meter backstroke.

"While we anticipate to win all of our dual meets this season, this was particularly exiciting after the training week," said Cornue. "We swam surprisingly fast."

Leading the charge, as has been the case of late, was senior Mike Kiedel. Kiedel cruised to a three second victory in the 200 free and crushed the field in the 400 free, winning by six-plus seconds and being the only competitor to break the four-minute barrier.

"Mike Kiedel, as usual, was a standout," Sirringhaus said. "He dominated both Navy and Harvard swimmers."

"Mike Kiedel is always our hero," Cornue said.

In this post-training week period, Harvard's swimmers have begun the tapering program that will allow them to be in peak shape for the their most important races of the season.

"Our main focus right now is the Harvard-Yale-Princeton meet in the first week of February," Cornue said. "That is the toughest remaining meet for us. Princeton will be fully shaved and we won't."

In the next 20 days, the Crimson will only compete twice, against Brown on the 25th and against Pittsburgh on the 31st. The team is looking at these as tune ups for the H-Y-Ps and the post-season meets that will follow.

"After that training week, people are beat up and have to come back to school," Cornue said. "But after the training week we build down and taper and everyone gets a boosts. The end is in sight for us with another Eastern Championship a couple of months away."