W. Swimming Takes Out Elis, Loses to Princeton at H-Y-P

If you were anywhere in the vicinity of Blodgett Pool on Friday night or

Saturday afternoon, you would have noticed quite a commotion from within.

That clamor came as several hundred fans, a marching band, and 43 female athletes used every last breath to support the women's swimming and diving teams. The teams were attempting to complete an undefeated season in a double dual meet with Princeton and Yale.

Unfortunately, the cheering could not keep the Tigers from taking a commanding lead to win 182-118, knocking the Crimson record down to 10-1, 6-1 Ivy. However, the Lady Crimson did swim well enough to outpace the Bulldogs during the same two-day meet, 189-111.

The squad had high expectations of completing its first perfect record in years, so some disappointment was expected.

"We went into this weekend as the underdogs but we still wanted to win this meet," said co-captain Sue Machorek. "All of us are definitely disappointed, but we know we still have a great chance at winning Ivies."

Harvard did post some promising results, turning performances that prove the team will be a force at the Ivy Championships.

Senior sensation Nancy Jo gave the Crimson its first victory, snaking her Princeton competitor by .05 seconds in the 200-yard freestyle. Her winning time of 1:52.80 ranks her as one of the top swimmers in the 200 freestyle in the league.

The team's breaststroke corps continued to amaze competitors. Senior Alexis Todor and freshman Rachael O'Beirne teamed up to sweep the 100-yard breaststroke with times of 1:05.13 and 1:05.16, respectively.

Wins like these kept Harvard within striking distance of Princeton (58-92) and provided a comfortable lead over Yale (103-47) after the first day of events. With Yale now out of the picture, Harvard began focusing solely on the Tigers.

"After the first day of the meet, we knew it would be tough to catch Princeton," Jo said. "But we went out there with the mentality that we could do it."

In the end, Princeton was simply too powerful for Harvard to overtake, but the second day of the meet illustrated the team's drive to win with several key performances.

One such effort came from junior Pia Chock, as she glided to a 52:88 finish in the 100 freestyle, out-stroking her Tiger counterparts by several tenths of a second.

"This was the greatest meet I have ever swum in," said Chock. "Standing on the blocks before the race and hearing everyone rooting for Harvard gave me a lot more confidence."

The crowd was undoubtedly a factor for freshman distance star Lovisa Gustafsson, competing in the 500 freestyle. After finishing second in two events early in the meet, Gustafsson would not be denied in this one. She came from behind to overtake Princeton's Valeria Kukla in the last 100 yards, finishing in 4:56.46.

The Crimson then finished the meet by handily beating Princeton on the final relay. Chock, sophomores Sarah Murphy and Jana McDougall, and freshman Christin Mcconnel rallied to finish in 3:31.57, over four seconds ahead of the Tigers' best finish.

"It was great to go out of this meet on such a positive note," said Jo. "I think the team can carry the energy from that last relay into Ivies."

The Ivy Championships are the only remaining competition on the team's roster, and this weekend's results haven't dampened the team's outlook.

"We know that we have a great shot at winning Ivies," said Machorek. "Traditionally, our team is stronger at championship meets because that format allows our depth to have more of an impact."

Regardless of the outcome of the H-Y-P meet, the Lady Crimson is going into the Ivies with one of its strongest teams ever. The team looks to get the title back from Princeton and Brown, the defending champs.