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M. Swimming Sweeps Columbia, Army

They say you can't get too much of a good thing.

For Harvard men's swimming and diving (2-0), that thing is winning.

The five-time defending Eastern Champions had no trouble shaming both Columbia and Army Friday night in double-dual meet action at Blodgett Pool. Harvard easily routed both teams in its first meet of the season, handing Columbia a 232-68 loss and Army an even more embarrassing 243.5-54.5 defeat.

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The Crimson, who sent 12 of their 34 members to the Olympic Trials this past summer, won all 14 swimming events, often sweeping first through third place. The team also took second and third on both the 1- and 3-meter boards.

"I think we're really excited about how well everyone swam," said senior Will Oren. "We had a very deep performance. Everyone on every level improved and put in a good effort."

Harvard's depth was apparent from the outset as the 200 medley relay of senior Michael Im, freshman Jonathan Lin, junior Kyle Egan and senior Jamey Waters won the event in 1:31.72. The team of freshmen Kemi George and Rassan Grant, sophomore Leif Drake and co-captain Matt Fritsch finished second with a time of 1:33.78.

The men then went on to sweep both the 1,000-yard freestyle and the 200 free. In the 1,000, freshman star John Cole touched at 9:04.07, over half a minute before teammates John Persinger, a sophomore who clocked in at 9:34.98, junior Ben Handley at 9:41.54, and junior Michael Sabala 9:42.84.

"It was my best time by five seconds," said Cole, who finished 12th at Olympic Trials this summer in the 1,500-meter freestyle.

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