Track Team Opens Season Against Revengeful Cadets

Harvard's football team and basketball team always start their seasons with patsies, like Brandeis and Tufts. But the indoor track squad doesn't kid around. They tackle their toughest opponent in the first meet--Army.

The trackmen will be good and ready just the same at West Point this afternoon. A string of 27 straight victories is on the line, and coach Bill McCurdy's boys want to add another one.

Army has lost practically no one from the strong team that beat the Crimson in the Heps last spring. Harvard has won four dual meets in a row and the Cadets don't like it a bit. Crimson captain Wayne Anderson said at practice Wednesday, "They'll be up. It irks them--the Harvard image. They don't want to be whipped by a bunch of twinks."

Harvard was an underdog twink last year in the indoor meet, but the Crimson mauled the soldiers by 34 points.

In that contest it was two big wins in the first two running events that sparked the team to victory. The Cadets had crushed Harvard's weight men, and Harvard trailed woefully as the mile race began.

But Jim Baker -- then a sophomore -- upset Army ace Jim Warner, and the Crimson's Frank Haggerty and Jeff Huvelle sandwiched another Army star in the 600 for first and third places. And from then on, everything was Crimson.

Baker Healthy

Baker, who also set a meet record in the two-mile that day, is back again. His ankle, injured early in the cross-country season, has nearly healed. And he will be ready to face Warner in the middle distance races, which should be crucial again.

Army is strong in the same areas that Harvard is strong -- the mile, two mile, and the 1000. The Crimson could have real trouble in the last because of injuries to Trey Burns and Jeff Huvelle, who should run away at West Point.

Huvelle's pulled hamstring should, however, keep him out of the shorter 600. Still, he will have an able replacement in Dave McKelvey, a junior who saw little action last year. McKelvey has turned out a fine 1:13.4 in team trials and should be able to win at Army.

McCurdy has been holding trials for the last week, giving his new men meet-like experience, checking out his old standbys, and deciding who will take the trip to the Hudson.

All-Ivy halfback Bobby Leo whipped two other footballers--John Tyson and Joe Sam Robinson -- in the 40-yard dash Wednesday to gain a position on the team along with Anderson, who didn't have to compete.

In a tight race the same afternoon for third spot (with Baker and Doug Hardin) on the two-mile squad, Joe Ryan came out of nowhere on the last lap to beat Tim McLoone.

There was a real meet atmosphere at the trials. McCurdy dominated Briggs Cage. He was everywhere, yelling encouragement, checking times, shouting advice. And some of the events were incredibly tense.

The weight men, who should run into some big trouble against Army, were battling it out for position on the shot put squad under coach Ed Stowell's supervision. No one could break 50 feet until Carter Lord, on his sixth and last heave, tossed the ball 50' 2".

Hardly anyone said anything. Ron Wilson, last year's big man, hovered around the 47 mark. Sophomores Charley Ajootian and Bob Benka broke 49. But it was a very disappointing afternoon. And things could be worse today when the putters run up against 54 foot men at West Point.

In other events:

Pole vault: Steve Schoonover, who won against Army last year, will find some real competition against the Cadets over the 14 foot mark.

High jump: Charlie Njouku, who has cleared 6' 6", ought to be an able replacement for Chris Pardee. But Army is strong here, and Njouku could encounter some trouble.

Broad jump: Army won't be much of a match for a solid, though not exceptional Harvard squad, led by Harvey Thomas, who beat the Cadets last year.

Hurdles: Again, the Crimson should dominate with Terry Golden showing the way.

Relays: Harvard won both last year. This time the mile is safe, but a crippled Huvelle and Burns won't do the Crimson any good in the two-mile.

Hammer: Ajootian, Wilson, and Gene Mazel will have to tangle with some big Army weight men in the meet's first event.