Aquamen's Kovacs Qualifies For NCAA's

After last Saturday's performance in the 100-meter backstroke, senior Chris Kovacs maybe making a visit to Barcelona in 1992.

In the Harvard men's swimming team's meet against Army, Kovacs qualified for the NCAA championships with a time of 49.80 seconds, just nipping the qualifying time of 50.13. The swim earned him not only an invitation to nationals in Austin, Tex., in March, but also a spot in the Olympic trials.

"Chris is just a great competitor," said Harvard Coach Joe Bernal, who has trained many Olympic swimmers, including David Berkoff. "He's really coming into his own. I think he'll be very much in the line of Dave Berkoff. I see a bright future for him."

While Kovacs was clearly the standout against Army in West Point, N.Y., Harvard as a team put in its strongest showing of the season, taking every event from the Cadets. Sean Gouldson barely missed an NCAA qualifying time himself in the 200-meter backstroke, falling 0.1 seconds short of the required mark. And senior Co-Captain Greg Tull set a school record in the 50 freestyle with a time of 20.55 seconds.

"This is one of the most unified teams I've been on since I've been at Harvard," Tull said.

"I was ecstatic and that's an understatement," Bernal said. "This was a big test for us and they met the challenge."

NOTEBOOK: Harvard will not be resuming its competitive schedule until 1991, but that does not mean that it is finished swimming for the year. The Crimson will be going through double and triple session practices from December 26 through January 4 in Fort Meyers, Fla.--not exactly fun in the sun.