HMSD OPENS UP THE NEW YEAR WITH 2 STRONG WINS.
    We opened up the year with two strong efforts vs. Rutgers and Navy. The Crimson are back in action Jan. 26 against
Brown in Providence, R.I. Our last dual is HYP at Princeton Saturday and Sunday Feb 3-4. Hope to see you there.
Harvard COOP Athletes of the Week (2006-2007)

January 8 - Junior swimmer Geoff Rathgeber (Kensington, Conn.) is the Harvard COOP Athlete of the Week for January 8. Rathgeber won two individual events each to lead Harvard to dual-meet wins on back-to-back days against Rutgers and previously unbeaten Navy. He was a winner in the 200 backstroke and the 200 individual medley in the 171-125 victory against the Scarlet Knights and came back the next day with wins in the 100 backstroke and 400 IM in the 188-112 win against Navy. He also swam a led on the first-place 200 medley relay against the Midshipmen, who had entered Saturday's meet with an 11-0 record.

Harvard Knocks Navy From Ranks Of Unbeaten, 188-112
Alex Meyer was chosen as the Crimson's Ironman this season, swimming every event in the meet against Navy
View larger Courtesy: DSPics.com
Alex Meyer was chosen as the Crimson's Ironman this season, swimming every event in the meet against Navy
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Juniors Sam Wollner, Geoff Rathgeber and Pat Quinn won two individual events each as Harvard handed previously unbeaten Navy its first loss of the 2006-07 season, 188-112, Saturday afternoon at Blodgett Pool.

The Crimson won 13 of the 16 events against the Midshipmen, who brought an 11-0 record into the meet. Harvard improved to 5-1 overall and 4-1 in the Eastern Intercollegiate Swimming League, while Navy falls to 11-1 overall and 3-1 in the EISL.
Harvard wasted little time in setting the tone for the meet as the Crimson took first and third in the opening 200-yard medley relay and grabbed the top two places in the 1,650-yard freestyle. Wollner took the 1,650 in 15:44.34, just ahead of teammate Eric Lynch, who was three-tenths of a second back. Sophomore David Guernsey followed by leading a 1-3 Harvard finish in the 200 freestyle as he touched in 1:42.64. Rathgeber picked up his first win of the afternoon by going 50.23 in the 100 backstroke. Seniors Brian Fiske and Joc Christiana widened Harvard’s lead by taking the top two places in the 100 breaststroke, with Fiske grabbing the first-place points in 58.23. Sophomores Dan Jones and Bill Jones followed by going 1-2 in the 200 butterfly as Dan clocked 1:52.43, just ahead of his brother’s 1:52.82. Quinn took both of the sprint freestyle events as he won the 50 in 21.18 seconds before touching the wall in 46.31 seconds in the 100. Navy’s only win in outside the diving well came in the 200 backstroke as Kevin Murki clocked a 1:50.82 to edge Harvard’s second- and third-place finishers. The Crimson reeled off wins in the five swimming events to run away with the win, however, as freshman Simone Melillo took the 200 breaststroke (2:09.36) before Wollner and Lynch again went 1-2, this time in the 500 freestyle. Harvard iced it in the 100 butterfly as Bill Jones, Dan Jones and senior Rich Goettke went 1-2-3, with Bill Jones touching in 49.90 seconds.Rathgeber added to his win total with a 3:59.87 showing in the 400 individual medley before the Crimson closed the meet with a win in the 400 freestyle relay (3:07.25). The Midshipmen picked up their other two event wins in diving as senior Kevin Teague won on both the one- and three-meter boards. Harvard junior Lucas Sanders took second in both events.

The meet also saw Harvard continue one of its longstanding traditions as freshman Alex Meyer was chosen by his teammates as the squad’s Ironman for the meet. Meyer swam in every heat of every race Saturday, taking part in 13 events and racing a total of 5,350 yards - slightly more than three miles.

Dan Jones on the 200 butterfly for the Crimson
View larger Courtesy: DSPics.com
Dan Jones on the 200 butterfly for the Crimson

PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Senior Brian Fiske, junior Geoff Rathgeber and sophomore Bill Jones won two individual events each at Harvard improved to 4-1 on the 2006-07 season with a 171-125 win against Rutgers Friday morning at the Werblin Recreation Center. Harvard scored the first-place points in 11 of the 16 events and swam the meets final relay as a non-scoring exhibition. Seven Harvard swimmers registered individual victories, with Fiske, Rathgeber and Jones finishing as multiple-event winners. Fiske led the way in the two breaststroke events as he won from both 100 and 200 yards. He edged Rutgers' Eric Lane to take the 100 in 58.64 seconds before leading a 1-2 Crimson finish in the 200 in 2:10.39. Rathgeber picked up his two wins in the 200 backstroke and the 200 individual medley as he cruised to comfortable margins of victory in both races. He led a Harvard contingent that took four of the top five places in the 200 back by touching in 1:52.28 and led the way in the IM in 1:52.49.
Jones had key wins in the 100 freestyle and 100 butterfly. He won the freestyle in 46.91 before leading a 1-2 Crimson finish in the fly with a 50.23-second swim.
Freshman Alex Meyer took a comfortable win in the 1,000 freestyle, winning in 9:34.68. Senior Jason Degnan-Rojeski won going away in the 100 backstroke, defeating the closest opponent by 1.68 seconds in 51.38. Sophomore Dan Jones, meanwhile, also joined the victory parade as he led a 1-2 Harvard showing in the 200 butterfly (1:53.65). Sophomore David Guernsey took the 50 freestyle in 21.53.