Harvard Thinclads Defend Big Three Title Tomorrow

"From top to bottom, this is the strongest Harvard team I've ever seen. They should make a shambles of this meet and of the Heptagonals later in the season.

An optimistic Harvard Coach Bill McCurdy? Guess again. Those words belong to Yale mentor Bob Giegengack, forecasting the results of tomorrow's Big Three indoor track meet at New Haven.

Giegengack has good cause to be doleful Harvard has won the Big Three for the last six years. And sixth a team that is, true to Giegengack's estimate, Harvard's strongest ever, the Crimson should make it seven this year.

Harvard's eight men should break the meet open for Harvard with dispatch. Ron Wilson is a sure bet for first, as he has been all year. Charlie Ajootian and Bruce Hendenal, who double in the shot, could be second and third.

Harvard's sophomore broad jump trio of Bob Galliers, Skip Hare, and John Avault will have their hands full with the Eli jumpers. Led by talented Calvin Hill, who has soared 25', Yale has four men who have done better than 23'.

Lone Sweep

Harvard may pick up its lone sweep in the shot, with mountainous Dick Benka. Ajootian, and Hedendal, but the paucity of Crimson high jumpers spells defeat in the event. Harvard has only Jim Coleman, whose best jump of the year is around 6'3". Yale has three 6'6" jumpers. Princeton's Richard Weisiger has gone 6'8".

In the middle and long distance races, there promises to be some great two-man duels, the best between two Harvard runners.

McCurdy plans to send record-setters Jim Baker and Roy Shaw against one another in the mile. They will almost certainly run everyone else into the ground. In fact, McCurdy harbors hopes that one of these days one of these two will push the other to the first sub-four minute mile in Harvard history.

Keith Colburn, Harvards other subfour aspirant, is injured again and probably won't run.

New Record-Holder

Doug Hardin, Harvard new record-holder in the two-mile (8:57.8) will be pitted against Princeton record-holder Eamon Downey, whose best is 9:05.16, in another thriller.

In the relays, Yale's mile team is the best. Harvard's two-mile team, the fastest in the East as of last Friday, should win with ease.