SWIMMING

Long before the season began, Ron Keenhold predicted that on a given day this winter any one of seven teams in the Eastern League could rise up and defeat any other — including perennial champion Yale.

Ironically, the first upset found Dartmouth the victim as the Indians went to Annapolis and met a Navy team that obviously had been keying for this meet after five straight losses to the Green. The score was 62-51 and even though he was disappointed, Keenhold is convinced his team is as strong as he had anticipated.

The Navy coach Jim Higgins made his money against Dartmouth in two areas — he got a big break in the opening 400 medley relay as Navy was declared the winner in a race where both teams were clocked identically in 3:40.8.

He also used some strategy that Karl Michael and Keenhold have used in the past to upend seemingly stronger teams. He tapered second and third men in several events to a point of readiness that they wouldn't normally achieve this early in the season. He hoped to beat the Indians with second and third place points — and he did.

After the opening relay decision, it was a game of catch-up, and the Indians never quite made it. With a record performance by Steve Quigley in the 1000 freestyle (his time of 10:27.5 is among the best around this winter) and a followup victory in the 500 freestyle by this talented sophomore from Marblehead, Mass., the Indians came to the closing freestyle relay needing a victory to win the meet. But again it was Navy's day. The Middies won in 3:12.8 and Dartmouth was one second behind. The times for both teams were the fastest to date this season in the East. Al Rheem, the Indian's captain, called a meeting in the locker room immediately after the meet. He made one thought clear — "We'll be seeing Navy again in the Easterns."

It was a disappointing loss for a team that had ripped through Wesleyan, Williams, and Colgate with ease and had come away from the Harvard pool with a 59-54 triumph as Chris Carstensen (in the 200 and 100 freestyle races) and Bill Thorwarth (in both diving events) were double winners. Quigley and another sophomore, breaststroker Bill Lehman, also came up with important wins.