Crimson Overpowers Princeton, Score 13 Firsts in Track Win

Harvard ran away with 13 first places Saturday, routing Princeton, 96-93, in the season's first dual track meet.

Princeton managed to capture only three track and two field events as the Crimson avenged last year's 89-65 loss to the Tigers.

Freshmen Sam Butler and Bill Okerman brought home two firsts in the track events as Butler led a Crimson sweep of the quarter-mile intermediate hurdles and Okerman won the half-mile. Butler also captured third in the javelin and 120-yard high hurdles while Okerman carried the second leg of the Crimson's successful mile relay team.

The Crimson coasted to a win in the quarter-mile relay after Princeton muffed the final exchange and failed to finish in a neck-and-neck race.

Crimson co-captain John Quirk edged out teammate Ric Rojas to win the mile, while Nick Leone captured first place in the quarter-mile. Baylee Reid fought an ailing leg to win the 100-yard dash.

Harvard improved on a mediocre field performance in its first-place finish last week in the Boston College Relays and took firsts in five events Saturday, the most notable being the javelin throw in which the Crimson swept the first three places.

Jay Hughes set a personal all-time record in winning the shot put and Jim Kleiger outclassed two Princeton. competitors to win the pole vault by two feet.

Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace captured firsts in both the long jump and the triple jump while freshman star Mel Embree scored an easy win in the high jump.

Crimson coach Bill McCurdy, who in his twenty years at the track helm has brought six Ivy League titles and ten consecutive Greater Boston Championships to Harvard, said yesterday that the lopsided Princeton win may have cost the Crimson valuable talent as three runners emerged from the meet with worrisome leg injuries.

A pulled muscle forced Dewey Hickman to pull out of the 120-yard high hurdles midway through the race after establishing a sizable lead. Co-captain Bob Clayton, already suffering from knee troubles, managed only a third in the half-mile and sprinter Baylee Reid continues to be hampered by a tender leg. McCurdy said it is questionable whether any of the three will participate in this week's Penn Relays.

The Crimson junior varsity posted an even easier 101-55 victory over Princeton in a meet run simultaneously with the varsity competition in Harvard Stadium.