Hampered by Flu, Swim Team Routs Columbia, 55-33

With boring regularity, the Harvard varsity swimming team piled up ten of twelve first places to demolish Columbia, 68-33, Saturday in the IAB. Coach Bill Brooks kept many of his big guns on the bench and let the other team members do the work. The races were dull and the times poor, but still good enough to run away from weak Columbia.

The fans who had come to see Bill Shrout and Bill Murphy show their championship forms were disappointed. Shrout swam the 200-yard freestyle, where he coasted to an easy victory, and did not reappear until the final relay. Murphy, last year's Eastern Seaboard three meter diving champion, won the one meter dive, however, was cancelled because Columbia does not have a three meter board. Marty Chalfie, the junior butterflyer, and Al Birch, the senior backstroker, were recovering from the flu and did not swim.

Harvard began the romp with a win in the 400-yard medley relay, an event the Crimson does not usually win. Shrout, Bob Hughes, Pete Adams, and Dan Thompson piled up four quick firsts and, with the meet out of reach for Columbia, Brooks began to use his reserves. With Chalfie out, Columbia won its first event in the 200-yard fly. Sophomore Terry Flanagan substituted for Birch in the backstroke and went a 2:18.3, no record, but good enough for a Crimson first. After John Bragg won the 500-yard freestyle, Brooks benched breaststroker Carl Cummins and Columbia won its second event, the 200-yard breaststroke. Shrout, Adams, and Thompson were back in action for the final relay, the 400-yard freestyle, when Harvard delivered the final blow to Columbia.

The Crimson swimmers rest until February 3, when they take on Pennsylvania in the IAB, Penn, however, is even weaker than Columbia, and the next real test for Harvard will not come until February 10 against Dartmouth, when the Crimson has a good chance to avenge last year's 58-37 defeat.