Army Edges Varsity Track Team, 57-51, Despite Superb Showing by Royce Shaw

Despite an outstanding performance by Royce Shaw, the varsity track team suffered a disappointing 57-51 loss to Army Saturday at West Point, as the Cadets won the final two relays to avenge a dual meet setback by Harvard last winter.

Shaw was the meet's only double winner as he captured the mile-run and the 1000-yard event. His time of 4:14.1 in the mile was fast enough to edge the Crimson's Bob Enscoe by 1.4 seconds. Enscoe was also a close second in the 1000. The Crimson swept both these events, as John Heyburn was third in the mile and Keith Colburn was less than a second behind Enscoe in the 1000-yard run.

Crimson captain Dick Benka was the only competitor to set a record. His toss of 58'3/4" broke the Army cage standard of 57'7 1/4", which Benka had also set. Unfortunately, cadets Helmut Haas and Pete Nell earned second and third in the put.

Harvard led, 51-47, with the mile and two-mile relays remaining, and had to win only one of the two to capture the meet victory. When Army beat the Crimson in the mile, the entire meet depended on the two-mile relay, and Harvard coach Bill McCurdy readied his best men.

Pete Billia gave the cadets a lead after the first leg, but Colburn and Enscoe narrowed the margin to only a yard as the anchor men received the batons. Shaw was, running for the Crimson against Larry Lemaster, the winner in the 600-yard run. Shaw attempted to pass Lemaster on three straightaways, but Lemaster refused to yield and hit the tape half-a-yard ahead of Harvard's ace to give his team the win.

It was the Cadets' 15th dual meet triumph in a row, a streak which started after the defeat by the Crimson a year ago. The loss Saturday evened Harvard's record at 1-1.

David Pottetti, a cross-country All-American, highlighted the Crimson's sweep of the two-mile run. He beat teammates Tim McLoone and Tom Spengler. It was the success in this event that gave Harvard its 51-47 lead preceding the relays.

Two other individual Crimson winners were sophomores Ed Nosal in the 35 pound weight throw, and Pete Lazarus in the pole vault. Nosal easily won his event with a toss of 58' 11 3/4", more than four feet ahead of the throw by runner-up Charlie Ajootian, also of Harvard. Lazarus' 14-0 pole vault earned him victory on the basis of fewer misses.