Crimson Picks Up Where it Left Off With Pair of EISL Wins

The Harvard men’s swimming and diving team opened the 2005-2006 season the same way it ended its previous regular season: with a dominating performance over league foes.

Led by sophomore Sam Wollner, who garnered two victories, the Crimson (2-0, 2-0 EISL) toppled Dartmouth and Cornell on Saturday at Simmons College. After falling behind Cornell by 26 points early in the day, Harvard garnered first place in its last seven races to snatch wins over both league opponents. The Crimson beat Cornell 162.5-137.5, and outgunned Dartmouth 239-61 in a tale of two halves.

Harvard finished the 2004-2005 season undefeated in dual meets and claimed its 10th conference championship in 13 years. After the loss of several key seniors, such as James Lawler, the Crimson hopes to remain atop the Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming League (EISL). Judging from Saturday’s performance, the Crimson remains the team to beat in the EISL.

“This meet was very important for us starting off the season, maybe even more important that we thought heading into the meet,” captain Bill Cocks said. “We knew Cornell was a good team, but, since it was the first meet, we weren’t sure what to expect.”

The Crimson dropped several key races in the first half of the meet and discovered that they were trailing Cornell after about half of the meet. Although other teammates struggled at the beginning, Wollner led the team with victories in the 200 butterfly (1:53.76) and the 500 freestyle (4:32.96).

“Sam came through big time for us,” sophomore Geoff Rathgeber said. “He had a tough race in the 500 free—the freshman from Cornell (Wesley Newman) was on him the whole time—but he pulled it out. He’s one of our most consistent swimmers, which is a tribute to his training.”

Captain Dave Cromwell began the seven-race winning streak in the 200-meter backstroke (1:48.42), in which he defeated Cornell senior Stefano Caprara by only .06 seconds.

After Cocks followed suit with a 200 breaststroke victory (2:08.81), the Crimson capitalized on its momentum to win the rest of the races and the meet.

“Halfway through the meet, we realized that Cornell was beating us and that it was time to regroup,” Cocks said. “In the first half of the meet, we didn’t have enough sense of urgency, but in the second half, we got together and stepped it up.”

Wollner’s second victory of the day, the 500 freestyle, moved Harvard to within a point of Cornell, at 113.5-112.5.

Freshman Bill Jones notched a win on the next race, the 100 butterfly, in 50.34, to give the Crimson its first lead over Cornell of the day; the lead would never be relinquished. Jones was one of just two Harvard freshmen to collect a win in his first dual meet; Eric Lynch, in the 1,000 free, was the only other freshman to do so.

“We got great senior leadership from our captains during the diving portion of the meet,” Rathgeber said. “Then, as the second half started, we got a few key wins and the momentum shifted our way, and from then on we did much better.”

To finish off the meet, senior Danil Rybalko (three-meter diving), Rathgeber (200 IM), and the Harvard 200 relay free team also scored victories. The wins by several freshmen and sophomore underscored the Crimson’s depth this year, and the importance of the underclassmen to the team.

“The freshmen and sophomores are so important to this team,” Cocks said. “Sometimes it can seem like, as a freshmen, you’re just trying to help out the veterans, and if you get a few points, then great. But this year, the depth is really important to us, and I don’t think we won have won this meet without the contributions of the freshmen and sophomores.”

Harvard looks to continue its winning streak at Columbia on Friday.

—Staff writer Julie R.S. Fogarty can be reached at fogarty2@fas.harvard.edu.