Yale Retains Track Crown As Thomson Wins 3 Events

Stewart Thomson, a hulking 250-pound giant from Yale, became the first triple-winner in the 20-year history of the Heptagonal Games, held at Soldiers Field Saturday, almost single-handedly giving the Elis their second straight championship.

The bearded junior, the only record-breaker of the cold, windy afternoon, stole most of the attention which was expected to be focused on Josy Barthel's special mile run. The 1500-Olympic victor, paced beautifully by Fred Dwyer for three quarters, won in a good but now disappointing time of 4:06.3.

Yale captured five events and tied for first in another, including Thomson's wins in the hammer throw, shot put, and discus. His toss of 180-feet-four-inches in the hammer broke the Heptagonal record of 178-5 1/4 set by the Crimson's Sam Felton in 1948, and the Soldiers Field record of 180 1/4 set by Felton in the same year.

In back of the Elis' 62 2/3 points came Cornell with 44 11/12, Navy with 35 3/7, Army with 27 3/7, Princeton with 25, Harvard with 23 6/7, Pennsylvania with 16 1/3, Columbia with 15 2/3, Dartmouth with 6 1/2 points. Brown didn't place in a single event.

For Coach Bill McCurdy's Crimson, the gray, gloomy background of Soldiers Field was an appropriate setting for its sixth place finish. After upsetting Yale last Saturday, the varsity was hoping for at least third place, and it even had visions of a championship.

The results of the 440 trials, however, soon quelched any such expectations. Both Dave Alpers and Renny Little, the excellent quarter-milers, failed to quality; each finished third in his heat. No sooner had this happened than Bob Rittenburg, 30 yards from the finish in the 120 yard high hurdle trials, tripped on a hurdle and went sprawling. He did come back, however, to place fourth in the 220 low hurdles, won by Booth of Cornell.

Rittenburg was also the only first place finisher for the Crimson. With a leap of 22 feet, six and a half inches, he tied with Dick Goss of Yale in the broad jump.

Turning in its best time of the season, the mile relay of Alpers, Little, Alan Howe and sprinter Pete Dow won its heat, but finished second on a time basis to Cornell. Cornell had a 3:16.8, and the Crimson a 3:19.4.