Some of the Crimson fans had higher hopes for the first day of the Women's Ivy League Swimming and Diving Championships, but the day was by no means a disaster.

Even though Harvard currently rests in fourth place, its spirit has not been dampened. In fact, the squad remains quite optimistic, especially after the night ended with two high points.

Senior Keiko Iwahara, who won an individual Ivy title two years ago, brought the crowd to its feet in the 50 Freestyle.

The event proved to be a nail-biter, as Iwahara took the lead from the start and tried to hold off her relentless competitors. The last 10 yards gave her Princeton rival just enough time to take the victory by one tenth of a second.

Although the Crimson did not win the event, it was a morale boaster for the rest of the team, especially since freshman Pia Chock won the consolation finals heat just before.

The final event of the night gave Harvard another runner-up finish, this time in the 400 Medley relay.

The Crimson powered ahead of six of its opponents but could not catch the Bears. Again, the team was excited with the performance despite its silver medals.

The athletes, coaches and spectators who filled Blodgett Pool yesterday were all stunned by the final team standings. Princeton currently leads the pre-meet favorite, Brown.

Both teams have distanced themselves from the rest of the field. Right now, Harvard is in a tight battle with Yale, trailing by only ten points.

Other notable performances which have kept Harvard in contention include an impressive finals performance by co-captain Jen Steffen in the 500 Freestyle and a 4-5 finish by sophomores Nancy Jo and Corie Calfee in the 200 Individual Medley.

Today's score by no means foreshadows the final outcome of the meet. Actually, the Crimsons look forward to the remaining two days of the meet because those are its stronger days.

"We definitely haven't given up faith," said sophomore diver Tracy Thall. "Today was our weakest day, and we know that we have the potential to really move up in the next sessions."

The team hopes for big things today in the 200 Freestyle, 400 Individual Medley, 100 Backstroke, 100 Breaststroke, 100 Butterfly, preliminary 3-meter diving, 800 Freestyle relay and 200 Medley relay.

These events could be the turning point of the meet for Harvard as it tries to surpass Yale and close the gap between itself and the two frontrunners.