Crimson Thinclads Challenge Army Cadets Today

The Harvard track team will receive its first real challenge of the season when it collides with a hearty Army squad at the Bubble today.

Keen Competition

A history of the Army-Harvard series shows 31 years of keen competition, and there is little reason to expect the rivalry to be different this time. Head coach Bill McCurdy speculated yesterday that the match should be a close one.

"We tamed the Boston Terrier last Tuesday but with the Army Mule, we've got a hybrid of a different color," he said.

No question Harvard's real power potential is in associate coach Edgar Stowell's field squad. As McCurdy described it: "To train a mule you first get his attention by bashing his head with a two-by-four. Our two-by-four is the field event bunch."

Harvard must count on strong field performances by Jay Hughes (35-lb. weight throw and shot put), Jim Kleigar (pole vault) and Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace (long, triple, and high jump) for the winning edge against a hard-running Army team.

Does It All

"The unbelievable Vanderpool-Wallace should have the long jump all sewed up," McCurdy said. "He does everything but blow up the Bubble for us."

Leon Sharpe and Fletcher Newton--Vanderpool-Wallace's jumping mates--will be counted on to help him sweep the Mules in the long and triple jump.

One-Two Punch

Mel Embree, high jump record-holder, will team up with Vanderpool-Wallace to provide Harvard with a one-two punch in the high jump event.

On the track, assistant coach Bob Hunt has been working frantically to do something about challenging the Army sprint and hurdle strength. Alan Yates emerged this week as the number-one Harvard sprinter, but he will have tough competition from Army's Marshall Best, one of the top sprinters in the East.

Hurdler Sam Butler will run into more than the usual obstacles with Army's Rick Madden and Gary Dellarocca expected to smash the Bubble's existing high hurdles record of 7.5 seconds.

With a reasonable break of points between the teams in the other events, it is possible that the meet could rest on the performances of Ric Rojas and Jeff Campbell in the mile, and Jim Keefe and Rojas in the two-mile.

Harvard again could be without the services of top middle-distance man Nick Leone. The injured Leone would normally participate in the mile relay.

Harvard is the favorite in the mile relay, with Army a potential winner in the two-mile exchange.

"With the shorthanded situation everyone who can stand up better be ready to run a relay," McCurdy said.