Swimming

Coach Karl Michael returned from his Olympic diving coaching duties just in time to put the finishing touches on the Big Green swimming team for an opening 61-25 triumph over Syracuse at Spaulding Pool.

Actually, the Indian swimmers had little difficulty against Syracuse and Coach Michael used some of his more promising sophomores in the 400-yard medley relay event and the 400-yard freestyle relay.

Top man for Dartmouth was veteran Ernie Drosdick who captured first place in both the 50- and 100-yard freestyle events, with Captain Bob McCollom in second place. Neil Sween took first in the 200-yard breaststroke race, while the Big Green relay teams swept both the 400-yard medley and 400-yard freestyle relay events.

Dartmouth faces stifFer opposition in the next month with Columbia, Army, Cornell, Harvard and Yale all to be met. As has been true in recent years, Dartmouth is strongest in the freestyle and relay events, adequate in the diving and a bit weaker in breaststroke and backstroke.

Speaking of the Olympic games, where he coached the U. S. diving team, Coach Michael reported that the American team was strong, but not strong enough to compete against the Australians. Mike has gone on record as suggesting changes in the judging of Olympic diving events, which he protested at Melbourne. He would eliminate national diving coaches from judging, eliminate individual scoring cards, using a combined judging rating only, and include a provision to remove a judge should he prove incompetent or to be showing bias.