Harvard Faces Stiff Test In IC4A Five-Mile Contest

Although undefeated in the Ivy League, Harvard's cross-country team is not expected to dominate the IC4A championships at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx today.

Ivy League teams generally don't win the Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America cross-country meet, but Harvard should make a respectable showing. Except for Walt Hewlett who is out with a muscle strain, the varsity harriers are in good physical shape.

Furnell Favored

In the big race for university division varsity teams, Larry Furnell of St. John's is the favorite. Furnell hopes to cover the five-mile course in 24:30. Dave Allen, Harvard's captain, ran the same course in 25:46 in the Heptagonal meet two weeks ago.

In addition to Allen, the Crimson runners in the varsity race will be John Chaffe, Jim Baker, Bob Stempson, Ran Langenbach, Dick Howe, and Joe Ryan.

Harvard's freshman entrants are Doug Hardin, Jim Stinchcomb, Wally Liverance, Keith Krieger, Bruce Jones, Frank Sulloway, and Tim McLoone. The freshman race will cover three miles.

The Ivy League may produce the individual winner in the freshman race. Gordon McKusick of Cornell missed the course record by two seconds when he ran at Cortlandt before the Heps. He was not really challenged in that race, so he should be able to better the mark today.

Notre Dame and Michigan State, the only two varsity teams from outside the East, and Georgetown are the teams with the best chance to win. Georgetown won the university division run last year, but their star runner, Joe Lynch, has been lost through graduation. Lynch set the meet record with a time of 24:41.8.

Villanova won the university division freshman race last year. Charlie Messenger of Villanova, last year's individual champion, is now on the strong Villanova varsity.

Good Depth for Harvard

In most of Harvard's varsity meets this year, the story has been the same: no high finisher, but enough men in the top dozen to win anyway.

In the Heptagonals, Harvard finished third behind Army and Navy, but defeated all the Ivy teams by a wide margin. Harvard had 73 points and Brown was next with 111. Harvard crushed Princeton and a weak Yale squad in the Triangular meet on the Tiger course last month.