Swimming, Polo Get New Coaches

Harvard athletics recently gained two experienced, new coaches to lead the men's water polo team and the men's swimming team.

Jim Floerchinger, the new water polo coach, is the former head coach from Lehman College. Floerchinger, 26, has coached on the international level for the U.S. College, U.S. Club and New Zealand national teams.

The new men's swimming and diving coach is Tim D. Murphy, who has coached Olympic swimmers such as Janel Jorgensen, a 1998 silver medallist. Murphy has spent the last 13 years as head coach of the Wilton YMCA Wahoos swim team in Wilton, Conn., and has led the team to several national championships.

In addition, he has volunteered for the men's and women's swim teams at Yale since 1996.

Floerchinger replaces Donald Benson '88 who left to spend more time on his teaching and coaching responsibilities at Chelmsford High School after four years working at the College.

Murphy, who is not related to football coach Tim L. Murphy, replaces Mike Chasson, who left Harvard for a head coaching position at Arizona State University.

Murphy said he has high hopes for the upcoming season.

"The men at Harvard want to be in the top 10 in the country and that is something I want to accomplish," he said.

Last season, the swim team went 9-2, capturing its third straight eastern title.

In other sports news, the football team was selected as the favorite for the 1998 Ivy League title in a preseason poll conducted by media from Ivy League cities. Harvard received 122 points in the poll and Brown finished second, with 113.

Last season, the football team won the Ivy League title and for the first time in its history had a perfect Ivy League record.

Additionally, Allison S. Feaster '98 was chosen as the New England College Athletic Conference/Robbins Sports Surfaces Athlete of the Year in Division I.

Feaster, who now plays for the Los Angeles Sparks in the WNBA, led Harvard to a historic first-round upset over Stanford in the NCAA tournament last spring.

She averaged 28.5 points per game and established a school record for steals in a season with 92.