Thinclads Rout Army, 72-46; Quirk Triumphs in Mile, 1000

Army's hammer was beaten into a plowshare, and its pole into a pruning hook at the bubble Saturday as Harvard's track team won an overwhelming 72-46 victory over the Cadets.

The thinclads turned what was expected to be a close meet into a rout by winning many races they were supposed to lose and by taking seconds and thirds where they weren't expected to.

"I was pleased with the total team response," head coach Bill McCurdy said Saturday. "We had team enthusiasm and team unity."

There were a lot of stars, but the brightest was newly elected cross country captain John Quirk. Quirk won, as expected, in the mile, but only after being challenged by Army's Deacon Fee in the last lap. Quirk ran a 4:12.2, finishing two yards ahead of Fee, who was clocked at 4:12.8. Tom New took third for the Crimson in 4:16.9.

Less than 45 minutes later, Quirk was called upon to run in the 1000. Coming off the final turn, Army's Barry Saddler had the lead, followed by the Harvard's Bob Clayton and Quirk. Clayton swung wide off the turn to pass Saddler, and Saddler swung with him. This enabled Quirk to pull up on the inside, and all three approached the finish line together.

Quirk dove for the tape and took first place with Clayton taking second on a lean. Both were timed at 2:15.5.

In the two mile, Rick, Rojas and Mike Koerner ran all over the Cadets. Rojas took first in 9:02.2, and Koerner took second in 9:05.4. Half-a-lap behind was Army's Ken Alm.

In the 600, Harvard's Rick Melvoin, running with a foot injury, held the lead most of the way. On the last lap, however, Army's Cort Bivens passed Melvoin on the outside and beat him at the line by a yard. Bivens also anchored the Cadets' victorious mile relay team. The final times were 1:13.4 for Bivens, and 1:13.6 for Melvoin.

The Crimson's Bill Bihrle scored a big upset in the high jump with a leap of 6 feet 6 inches.

Jim Kleiger, who last year pole vaulted 16 feet as a freshman, took first in the vault with a leap of 14 feet 6 inches. Kleiger is recovering from a knee operation.

Leon Sharpe was another Crimson standout. He took first place in the long jump, hurling himself 22 feet 10 inches; and in the triple jump with a 40 foot 1/4 inch performance. Bill Bihrle's leap of 6 feet 6 inches in the high jump gave him an upset victory.