HURD FINISHES THIRD; IN LINE FOR OLYMPICS

John G. Hurd '34 of Auburn, Cal., greatly strengthened his chances for a berth on the U. S. Olympic fencing squad by finishing third in the foils tournament at M. I. T. Saturday. Displaying the style that made him 1934 intercollegiate champion, Hurd gave Hugh V. Alessandroni of New York a close run for second place.

The ranking national champion, Joseph L. Lewis of Dorchester, neatly walked away with first honors in the Saturday Olympic tryout. A star in the fencing world since his days as M. I. T. intercollegiate ace in 1926, Lewis displayed a flashy Italian style to defeat all in his path.

William T. Pecora of New York, who finished in fifth place, strangely enough fought Lewis to his smallest margin of victory. Pecora's almost astounding speed garnered him four touches before he was finally vanquished.

In a beautiful exhibition of swordsmanship the champion downed Alessandroni, the runner-up and his most formidable opponent, by a score of 5-2. Allesandroni was national champion in 1934 and has been a member of the Olympic squad since 1931. Both he and Lewis have sure berths on the U. S. team for 1936.

Hugo M. Castello of N. Y. U., the present intercollegiate digest finished sixth; while Maurice Greason of Yale came up from comparative oblivien to garner fourth place.