Four Records Shattered

Sparked by Jim Baker's record-shattering wins in the mile and two-mile, the Crimson track team smashed Army, 68-40, Saturday and established Harvard as the team to beat in the Indoor Heptagonals next March.

Coach Bill McCurdy had good cause to beam as he lit up a huge victory cigar after the meet. Four Briggs Cage records fell Saturday to Harvard trackmen, including the marks erased by Baker, the shot put record, and the mile-relay time.

It was a day of surprise performances. The mile run was supposed to have been a duel between West Point's Hep champ, Bob McDonald, and the Crimson's sophomore Roy Shaw. But Baker, running brilliantly, left both of them in the dust.

His 4:09.9 time bettered the old cage record, set in 1962 by Army's RobinLingle, by nearly three seconds. Shaw finished second, 25 yards behind the swift Englander. McDonald was fourth.

In the two-mile run, Baker hung behind teammates Doug Hardin and Tim McLoone for 19 of the marathon's 21 laps. Then suddenly he broke ahead, turned it on, and left everyone behind.

Baker broke the tape at 9:07.2, followed by Hardin (9:12.4) and McLoone (9:-19.2) in second and third for Harvard's only sweep. All three runners broke the old Cage record of 9:20.0 set by Baker against Army in 1965.

In the shot put, Harvard's Dick Benka amazed everyone with a 56'11" winning toss. Benka's throw was a half-inch longer than the five-year-old Cage mark and more than two feet over the big junior's best previous throw (54'6"). Army's Dan Seebart, who beat Benka for first in last Year's Heps, did not compete Saturday.

Bill Cobb, better known as a defensive safety than as a sprinter, won the 40-yard dash with a 4.7 time. He had never run a race for Harvard before Saturday.

Another surprise winner was McKelvey who edged out Captain Jeff Huvelle by six-tenths of a second to win the 600. Sophomore Keith Colburn, co-holder with Huvelly of the University record in the 600, has been hampered by an injury and did not run.

Mile Relay

In the mile relay both the Harvard and Army teams were clocked at 3:24.0, a new Cage record, but Army won the race. The Cadets had built up a five-yard lead when Huvelle, Harvard's anchor man, began to close the gap. Huvelle came within inches of catching the Army runner but never quite made it and crossed the finish line a fraction behind.

In two field events which should have been the Crimson's strongest, Harvard turned in disappointing performances. Harvard's best weight man, Ron Wilson, took third behind teammate Charlie Ajootian and Cadet Larry Hart, who won. Harvard's Steve Schoonover won the pole vault, but his 14'6" winning vault was sub-par for the Hep champ.

Sophomores Noel Hare and Bob Galliers took first and second respectively in the broad jump. Jim Coleman took second in the 1000. Frank Haggerty took third in the high hurdles, and Harvard won the two-mile relay.