Word: bernal
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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Unlike many Ivy League coaches Bernal had no doubts about his goals; there is a lot of talk in Ivies, especially at Harvard, about only wanting to be "competitive," and achieving "parity." None of that for Bernal. He says repeatedly that a first-rate academic program and a first-rate athletic program need not be mutually exclusive. "When there's a sport where we can compete with a team like Indiana, we should swim them," Bernal says, "We're not sacrificing anything to be competitive with them...
...What Bernal means is that he insists swimmers stay in touch with their studies as well as their strokes. "Before they come to Harvard, they have the basic intelligence and basic skills. All our swimmers have had this kind of training discipline and have still accomplished the academic discipline that allowed them to get into Harvard," he says...
...that neat philosophy would be rendered mute without recruiting, and Bernal hasrecruitedwith enormous success. Having established the Harvard name in swimming, the task should be easier in years to come. The group that arrived in 1978, sophomores this year, featured Ron Raikula, who, with last year's experience in the nationals behind him, figures to make himself heard in the 400-yd. individual medley and the 200-yd. back stroke...
...freshmen have surpassed all expectations. Among the highlights are Larry Countryman, the long-distance freestyler in this weekend's 1650-yd. race (who Bernal sees as "stepping into Bobby Hackett's shoes when Bobby leaves"), Ted Chappell, in the 400-yd. I. M., Jim Carbone going in the 200-yd. breaststroke, and Tom Verdin, whose stunning performance in the Easterns gave his a spot in the 200-yd. individual medley...
...there is David Lundberg, a Provo, Utah, native and a recruit of Hackett-like proportions. Lundberg will swim in three individual events, the 200-yd. breaststroke, the 200- and 400-yd. individual medleys, and Bernal says he "has the potential to score in all three...