Of Championships, Drugs, Medals and All-Americans

The Harvard men's heavyweight crew won the national championship for the sixth time in ten years with a thrilling. 29 second win over undefeated Dartmouth on June 13.

The Crimson rowed the 2000 meter course on Lake Harsha in Cincinnati, Ohio in a record 5:33.97 breaking Harvard's own record of 5:35,09 set in 1987.

Dartmouth crossed the line in 5:34.26, but heavy-weight coach Harry Parker said the margin was actually much closer.

"It was close, very close. Maybe about two or three inches," Parker said.

The two boats were so close, in fact, the judges had to resort to instant replay to select a winner. Dartmouth and Harvard remained on the water for 10 minutes before the judges announced the Crimson victory.

"It was really exciting, and exceptional race," Parker said. "But the replays showed pretty clearly that we won."

Harvard won the race by taking an early lead and hanging on to it. Senior stroke Bill Cooper paced the boat at 45 stroke per minute and the Crimson built a small early lead.

But Dartmouth, undefeated all season and winners of the Eastern Sprints, rowed a strong second 500 to put the crews neck-and-neck for the second half of the race.

Harvard, rowing at a 38.5 pace and then at a 41 on the sprint, edged out the Big Green at the finish.

The win avenged Harvard's only other loss this season: Dartmouth at the Eastern Sprints. Even though he has seen his share of national championships in 30 years as a crew coach, Parker admitted that this finish was a thrill."

"Other races have been comparable to this one, but none have been better," the coach said.

Barcelona Dreamin'

Three Harvard athletes won bronze medals at the 1992 Summer Olympics: David Berkoff '89 in the 200 meter backstroke, Julia Trotman '88 in European-class yachting and Anna Seaton '86 in the women's crew pairs.

Overall, Harvard sent more athletes and coaches to the 1992 Summer Olympics than any school in the country, according to university officials. A total of 22 current and former Harvard athletes and coaches participated.

Crew was by far the most well-represented sport, with 12 athletes and men's lightweight coach Charlie Butt and women's novice coach Holly Hatton competing for medals.

Four current undergraduates competed: junior Norman Bellingham, a 1988 gold medalist in the kayak pairs who was denied a medal this years; senior rower Snorre Lorgen, who competed for Norway; senior swimmer Kris Singleton, who competed in the 100 meter butterfly; and senior swimmer Simon Wainwright, a 200 meter butterfly racer.

Besides Lorgen, Harvard athletes competing for countries other than the United States were Singleton (U.S. Virgin Islands), Wainwright (Great Britain) and Nick Sweeney '92, who competed in the discus for Ireland. Harvard was also represented in track by former Crimson superstar Meredith Rainey '90 in the 800 meter run.

1988 medalists returning to the Olympics for their second time were Bellingham, Berkoff and rowers Rich Kennelly '87 and John Rusher '89.

In Seoul, Berkoff won a gold medal in the 4x100 meter relay as well as silver in the 100 backstroke. Kennelly notched a bronze with the four-man shell without coxswain, as did Rusher in the eight-man shell.

New Drug Testing Rules

In the great tradition of Harvard public service, more Crimson athletes will be donating their urine to the NCAA this year. The NCAA's random drug testing program, which has been in effect since 1986, has expanded this year to include track and field athletes, according to newly appointed NCAA Liasons Coordinator Marcella Zelot.

Since 1986, teams competing in NCAA post-reason tournaments have been subjected to random drug tests. In 1990, the NCAA introduced mandatory random drug testing during the regular season for football. Now, all track and field athletes will be subject to regular-season inspections.

According to Zelot, the NCAA will notify Harvard two days before it plans to test athletes. Inspectors, she said, will randomly select players off the team roster.

Condakes to Greece?

Senior Peter Condakes, a star forward on the Harvard men's basketball team, has been ruled academically ineligible to compete for the Crimson this year, said Harvard Sports Information Director John Veneziano.

As a junior, Condakes' fierce playing style and versatility won the former Boston Globe and Boston Herald All-Scholastic honoree a starting role on the team last year, where he averaged 10.7 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.

The Weston, Mass. native, who has had academic difficulties in the past, was projected to be one of the team's top players in the upcoming season.

Condakes is currently in Greece playing basketball, where he plans to stay for up to a year, his mother said yesterday.

Men's basketball coach Frank Sullivan was out of town on a recruiting trip and could not be reached for comment.

All-American Cyclist

Junior Debra Cohen was named an All-American after capturing her third consecutive National Collegiate Sprint Championship last weekend in Northbrook, III.

Cohen defeated Karolyn Smith of Mesa College for the title.

Her win, combined with her second place finish in the points race, placed the one-woman Harvard team ninth overall and earned her All-America status.