Final Triumphs Add Lustre to Triangular Meet History

The following is the second of two articles dealing with the history of the Triangular track meet. The first article, published in last Friday's Crimson, brought the survey up to the 1924 classic. This article brings the review to a conclusion.

In the 1924 Triangular meet the Crimson pinned its hopes on the running events, but the Ithacans gained a decisive win in the annual three-cornered battle by a 12 point margin. The meet was in results a repetition of the 1922 battle, but the Crimson runners and weight men were making a more threatening bid for honors. The victory of J. N. Watters '26 over Captain E. B. Kirby of Cornell, intercollegiate mile champion, is described as one of the indoor classics of all time. Fifteen yards behind Kirby and tiring fast, Watters uncorked a terrific sprint in the last two laps of the race and sailed by his opponent to win by 20 yards.

Hardly less spectacular was the two mile victory of B. R. Cutcheon '25 over Nazro of Dartmouth whose desperate bid for first place in the latter stages of the race forced Cutcheon to surpass himself and eliminated the other Crimson entries, P. F. Coburn '24 and J. F. Ryan '26. R. L. Hyatt '24 took first place in the broad jump. The heave of C. A. Eastman '24, which covered 43 feet and one half inches in the shot put, surpassing the old record by seven inches and the recovery of Captain Merrill from some recovery of Captain Merrill from some collisions at the start of the 300, to win second place, were the high spots of the meet.

Harvard Track Reaches Acme

In 1924 Coach Farrell had laid the foundation for the brilliant 1925 season, a which it can truly be said that Harvard track has never reached a higher point than it did in the Triangular meet on Saturday night, February 28. When it was all over Coach Farrell said, "I have never seen a better Harvard track team. I have never seen a finer group of men than made up that team." At a dinner at the Varsity Club on the night of Thursday, February 20, he had previously said to both the University and Freshman track squads. "I'm sure I don't know where you get your speed." He was destined to see an even more remarkable brand of speed and stamina displayed at the 1925 Triangular meet. In the sensational clipping of record after record which took place that Saturday night in Mechanics Hall, so much excitement was provided by the Crimson stars that the earthquake tremors which had New England dangerously rocking, passed by unnoticed in the enthusiasm. It was a high spot of Crimson track, and men like R. G. Allen '26, F. P. Kane '26, L. L. Robb '25, C. G. T. Lundell '27, K. N. Rogers '26, E. C. Haggerty '27, W. I. Tibbetts '26, and A. H. Miller '27 composed a remarkable galaxy.

To reveal what was accomplished, Miller took the 40-yard dash, Allen the 300-yard run, Kane the 600-yard run, Watters the 1000-yard run, Tibbetts the two-mile run, and Fletcher the 45-yard hurdles. In his race Allen clipped two-fifths of a second off the 300-yard run. When the pistol cracked for the start of the 600-yard event. Haggerty was badly blocked at the start and Kane was soon trailing fourth or fifth. By the time the runners had passed the press stand with but two more laps before the finish, Kane had sneaked up to third place. The order was the same as they rounded the turn for the final lap: yet Kane broke the tape and lowered the record by two-fifths of a second.

Soon after this, Fletcher of Harvard tied the world time in the 45-yard high hurdles. He gained the added distinction of being the second man who has ever tied the record twice in one day, for he had covered the distance in his trial race in the same time.

Tibbetts Walks Away In Two-Mile

W. I. Tibbetts '26 is perhaps the greatest of Crimson two-milers and distance men. A lean, wiry, middle-height individual, with a smooth untiring stride, he has run some of the finest races in Crimson track history. In the Triangular meet of 1925 he was destined to score the fourth new record. He came up against the widely heralded entry from Hanover, Osgood, who had smashed the Dartmouth record a week before, and against Craig of Cornell. The race turned out to be one of Tibbetts against time, in which the former won by 11 2-5 seconds.

Miller thundered down the 40-yard trail in four and three-fifths seconds, breaking another record, and Captain Bowen of Cornell lengthened the record distance in both the weight events.

Green Makes Desperate Bid in 1926

The splendid victory of the 1925 Triangular meet was only the beginning however. It was destined to be repeated even more brilliantly the next two seasons against more dangerous opposition. Especially in 1926 did the Green make its best effort to avenge its decisive defeat of the previous year at both the hands of Harvard and Cornell. All indications pointed to a dangerous Hanoverian offering. Coach Hillman's strength this year lay in his versatile sophomores. Several stars of his 1925 Freshman team now came to the fore and eliminated his veterans. Moody, a rangy second year Green high-jumper, had cleared six feet and three inches to replace Herring, who had captured this event in the H-D-C meet the year before. In the broad jump, Glendenning, a former Andover flash, showed promise, and was in addition entered in the dash, the 300-yard run, and the relay. Other outside threats were Captain Russell of the Ithacan contingent and his teammate Goodwillie. They both were figured on to threaten the dash supremacy of Miller.

Harvard Gets Break in Draw

The University track team received the first break in the 1926 H-D-C Triangular meet. In the draw for places held at the Harvard Club the day before the meet, Lundell, the Crimson entry in the 300-yard dash, drew the pole, which gave him the advantage of starting in the inside lane at the expense of Glendenning of Dartmouth and Captain Russell of Cornell. However, the results of the draw divided the advantage evenly on the whole, with the exception of the coverted pole in the 300. The possession of the latter made the University a slight favorite over the dangerous visitors.

On Saturday night, February 27, 1926, the speedy Crimson track team again outstripped the invading hosts, placing in every event and totaling 59 points to its credit. The Hanoverian dark horses were able to romp home with 30 1-2 points, while the Red and White Ithacans trailed with 26 1-2 points. The meet abounded in great performances and two new records were set. Second only to the great uphill fight made by Kane in the relay, after he had previously broken his own Triangular meet record in winning the 600-yard run in one minute 16 and four-fifths seconds, came Haggerty's record breaking performance in the 1000-yard run, which he navigated in two minutes 20 and two-fifths seconds. He repeated in the mile run scoring a well-planned vcitory Watters beautiful drive into second place in the 1000-yard run was no less remarkable. Captain Tibbetts ran a beautifully timed two mile race, Luttman of Harvard coming in second, and Pond of Cornell third. The time was ten minutes and four-fifths seconds.

Relay Team Performs Beautifully

One of Harvard's finest relay teams participated in the meet, taking first place from Dartmouth while Cornell trailed. It was composed of J. H. Broome '26, Lundell, Rogers, and Kane, Kane was the bright particular star of the race, staging a beautiful performance after having broken his own Triangular record.

Miller definitely proved his superiority in the 40-yard classic by sprinting away from Russell of Cornell and Glendenning of Dartmouth. His time was four and three-fifths seconds.

It is interesting to note that on Tuesday, March 2, two days after the meet, came the announcement of the selection of W. J. Bingham '16 to direct the athletic fortunes of the University. His appointment as Director of Athletics was to take effect at once. Mr. Bingham was always most closely allied to the track team. After the disastrous season of the team on the einders in 1920, Mr. Bingham was called back to his alma mater to coach the track team and he lifted the University so far out of the mire that during the 1921 season only half a point separated the Crimson team from California and the intercollegiate championship.

Third Successive Victory in 1927

The high spots of the 1927 Triangular meet are too recent to be entirely forgotten. Again the University was conceded the advantage and again Coach Farrell's men showed their heels to the challenging packs. The Crimson track team broke two meet records and took over half of the first places. It scored 54 1-4 points to Dartmouth and Cornell's 33 and 28 3-4. Outstanding performances abounded, for even when records were not humbled, the events brought forth competition close enough to bring the crowd to its feet time after time.

The sensations of the evening were, first, Miller's triumph in the 300-yard dash after having won the 40-yard dash; second, Captain Haggerty's double victories in the mile and the 1000-yard run; and third, the record-breaking heave of C. A. Pratt '28 who, urged on by the apparently unsurpassable toss of Anderson of Cornell, rose to the supreme effort of his career and with a put of 42 feet two and three-fourths inches nosed out the Ithacan by one half an inch to establish a new meet record.

Miller's victory in the 40-yard dash was eclipsed by his unexpected appearance and triumph in the 300-yard dash. Rushing to the fore at the crack of the pistol, the giant sprinter justified the confidence Coach Farrell had shown in entering him, by outspending and out-generalling the pack. Unaccustomed to the difficult Mechanics Building corners, he negotiated them perfectly and easily led Glendenning of Dartmouth to the tape.

The unexpected capturing of all three places in the sprints helped the Crimson total greatly. H. W. Burns '28 and T. E. Dunn '29, running fine races, backed Miller up splendidly and shut out both opposing colors.

Three Teams Now Tied for Firsts

Having glanced over the high spots of the nine preceding Triangular meets, it is interesting to note, with the tenth classic close at hand, that Harvard, Dartmouth and Gornell each have three victories to their credit. Dartmouth had the upper hand in the beginning, but Cornell soon usurped the Green supremacy. The Crimson athletes have most recently been masters of the situation, but if they are destined to hold their present situation and forge ahead of their opponents for a fourth consecutive triumph they will have to turn back two threatening track hordes in the Arena this coming Saturday night. However, disregarding all other factors, it is safe to say that Coach Farrell's 1928 team will make a supreme effort to retain the Triangular laurels and make as creditable a showing as its brilliant predecessors of the past three seasons.DASH LUMINARY WHO SHONE BRIGHTLY IN 1927 H-D-C MEET A. H. MILLER '27