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Radcliffe Swimmers Rout Wellesley, 56-30

By Bennett H. Beach and Martin R. Garay iii

Radeliffe's swimmers downed Wellesley with surprising ease, 56-30, yesterday in the Radeliffe Pool to complete another undefeated season. No one could remember when the Cliffies last had a team that wasn't undefeated.

As usual, Julie Anderson was instrumental in the win. She won both breaststroke events by wide margins, setting a record in the 40-yard event, and swam a leg on the winning medley team.

Radcliffe got a good start yesterday by winning the medley relay and adding first in the next four events to build a 31-12 lead. Wellesley girls won the next two events, but by that time it was almost impossible to overcome the Cliffies' point advantage.

Janet Nadeau and Kathy Fletcher both swam on the two relay teams and each won an individual event to help the Cliffies to their fourth dual-meet victory.

After the win in the medley relay, the meet's first event, officials halted the proceedings for a five-minute rest period. Both entrants in the 40-fly, Nadeau and Wellesley's Abigail Grissom, needed time to recover from the relay. Nadeau then won in 24.5.

A Triumph

Andy Hedin, a recent addition to the team, followed with a 27.0 triumph in the 40-back, and then Anderson broke her own record for the second time this season in the 40-breast. Her time was 26.3, even though she was not pushed by her opponent.

Fletcher made the afternoon even less enjoyable for Wellesley a few moments later, when she won the 40-free in 20.6. "You might mention that she just tied her own record," suggested her boyfriend, one of seven spectators.

But the Wellesley girls never quit. Joan Arneson stroked to a first in the 80-yard individual medley, and Kathy Williams ade a win in the 100-free to bring her team within 13 points of Racliffe.

Finalized Matters

Cliffies Anderson and Anne Yelland finalized matters, however, by taking the next two events before the Radcliffe free-style relay team won to end the meet.

There were at least two explanations for Wellesley's discouraging performance; 1? two swimmers were sick and did not come, and a third was visiting at Colgate; 2? Weilesley doesn't have a very good team.

"We were dead last at the New Englands, and though we thought we'd do better today, we didn't expect to win." Kathy Williams said. Apparently, there was no team at Wellesley last winter, so the program is now in the rebuilding stage. "I'm the captain, coach, and manager, so it's sort of disorganized," she explained.

Gay Cliffies

The Cliffies were not as nervous yesterday as they usually are before the important meet against Wellesley. "They were sort of gay," said Anne McCabe, the team's coach. "They were laughing and yelling in the locker room before the meet, and I was a bit worried. After the first few events. I wasn't worried, though." She added.

"It was fun racing against the clocks," one Cliffic exclaimed while sipping her punch. [See separate story in column four.]

One of the officials was also struck by the calm atmosphere. Dave-Powlison, a freestyler for Harvard's varsity. said, "It reminded me of the old days when there was no pressue. You swim three events in fifteen minutes."

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