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At the time for the annual track and field meet of the I. C. A. A. A. A. draws closer, the question as to who the winner will be this year becomes more and more unsettled. Early in the season the Cornell team was considered the favorite, but the performances of the other teams in dual meets which have been held during the past month have caused followers of track athletics to doubt whether Cornell's strength in the distance runs will be enough to bring victory to the Ithacans, for they apparently lack balanced strength.
Twenty-nine members of the Association have entered men in the meet, the list including Amherst, Bowdoin, Brown, California, Colby, Colgate, College of the City of New York, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Fordham, Georgetown, Harvard, Holy Cross, Lafayette, Leland Stanford, Maine, M. I. T., Michigan, New York University, Penn State, Pennsylvania, Pittsburg, Princeton, Rutgers, Swarthmore, Syracuse, Williams and Yale. Boston College also sent in entries for three men, but these entries were received at the office of the Association in New York one day late, and it is not known whether they will be accepted. Two years ago Maine's entries were one day late, and they were ruled out. The Executive Committee of the Association will meet this evening in the Copley-Plaza to decide whether the entries will be accepted.
In discussing the University's chances of winning the meet, Coach Bingham said. "I do not want to seem too optimistic, but I believe the team has an excellent chance of running up a good score." Most of the Crimson's points will be won in the sprints, the mile and the field events. It is in the quarter-mile, half-mile and two-mile races that the University team is weak, and it is in these events that the probable high scorers in the meet are strongest. Cornell's chief strength is in the distance runs, and upon the work of Captain McDermott, Brown and Irish, in the half, the mile and the two-mile will depend, in a large measure, the size of Cornell's score.
The Eli team is counting on running up a fairly large score, with Campbell entered in both the half-mile and the mile, Gardner in the pole vault, and Landon in the high jump. Landon won the high jump last year with a jump of 6 feet 4 inches, and although he has not cleared this height so far this year, he is probably capable of it if pushed, and should repeat his win of last year unless an accident occurs. Miller of California, who has cleared 6 feet 3 inches in the high jump this spring, may possibly beat out Landon for first place. C. G. Krogness '21 and W. F. Goodell '21, the University entries in this event, have both been doing close to 6 feet; and may be able to score some points for the Crimson if they can reach this height.
Campbell Eli Star
Yale's strongest entry is Campbell, who is to run both the mile and the half. At first he was entered only in the half, as he was going to try for a record in this event, by beating the time of 1 minute 53 seconds made by J. E. Meredith of Pennsylvania in 1916; but he has decided to enter the mile also in order to increase Yale's score as much as possible. Irish of Cornell and Higgins of Columbia, who have both done the mile in 4 minutes 20 seconds this spring, and Captain O'Connell of the University will be his chief competitors in this event, and all should place, as their performances in meets have not been beaten by any of the other men entered.
Earl Thompson of Dartmouth is conceded first place in the high, hurdles, but it is doubtful who the other place winners will be. Massey of Princeton, who won fifth place at Philadelphia last year, will probably place again this year, and C. G. Krogness '21 of the University, who led Massey at the finish last Saturday, should also place. Thompson will have to do better than he has done so far this spring to beat Barron on Penn State, if Barron repeats his 15 seconds performance which he did earlier in the season against the University.
Thompson will also try to win the low hurdles. Last year he was beaten at the finish by Wells of California, but Wells has not made the trip cast this year, and the Green flier stands a good chance of winning this event, R. W. Fitts '23, the Crimson low hurdle entry, has been doing around 25 seconds all spring, and if he continues it on Friday and Saturday he may be among those to place in the finals, but Smalley of Pennsylvania and Taylor of Princeton, who have beaten him in dual meets, and Henderson of California are also entered against him, and should be among the leaders at the finish.
Romig of Penn State has made the best time in the two-mile grind so far this year, doing it in 9 minutes 29 seconds at the Colgate games, and if he can come anywhere near it on Saturday he should capture the title. MacMahon of M. I. T., and Brown of Cornell, brother of last year's winner, have both been doing under 9 minutes 40 seconds, and this indicates that they have the ability to place well up.
Expect Record From Gourdin
If the University is to get enough points to win the meet, a large number will have to be obtained in the field events. E. O. Gourdin '21 is out to break the Intercollegiate record, and if possible the world's record in the broad jump. His unofficial record jump of 24 feet 6 inches last Saturday showed that he is capable of doing it, and if the conditions are favorable he may go over 25-feet. Curtois of Columbia, who has a mark of 23 feet 10 inches, is the only college jumper who can approach Gourdin in this event. If either Krogness or Goodell are able to get over 23 feet, they will stand a chance of scoring.
The field in the sprints is one of the best ever entered in a college meet. It is in the 100 and 220-yard dashes that the invaders from the Pacific coast are strongest, and they are expected to pick up a number of points in these events. Hutchinson, who is running for California, finished second to Paddock when he equalled the world's record for the 100, and he has been clocked in 9 4-5 seconds. Brown, of Princeton, who won the race last year, has graduated, but Gourdin, who got second, will have to race against Wells of Leland Stanford, who finished third, and DeWitt of Rutgers who finished fourth. Another sprinter who ought to be among the first five to cross the line is Woodring of Syracuse, who has done under 10 seconds this spring.
From dual meet performances Cornell seems to have the edge over the other teams entered in the meet, but it is unsafe to make any predictions upon these records. It frequently happens that a good dual meet team will not have the strength to come through in a big meet, where a number of teams are entered. Princeton and Pennsylvania, both of whom were so strong a year ago, have had bad luck this year in such things as injuries to men, and will not have such an easy time piling up a large score as they did last spring. On the other hand, there are several teams whose strength is problematical, such as California. The Westerners have three members of the Olympic team with them, but of their team strength little is known.
The real strength of the University team is also somewhat of a question. Since last year the team has improved greatly in scoring ability in dual meets, but it is hard to say just what they will be able to do on Saturday. The fight which Coach Bingham has put into the Crimson runners will count a great deal in the final score, and while it is doubtful that they will be able to win the meet, it is safe to say that they will do better than they did last year, and will finish close to the top
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