Harvard Crew to Meet Yale Saturday; Race to Mark End of Era for Rowers

Harvard's varsity crew will shoot for its tenth straight victory over Yale in the Sexton Cup this Saturday on New London's Thames River course.

The Harvard-Yale regatta, first rowed in 1852, is America oldest intercollegiate athletic event. However, Saturday's race will probably mark the last time that the event will be held at the traditional New London site.

Aside from four isolated race years, the regatta has been run on the Thames since 1878. However, next season when Yale revamps its academic schedule and pushes the beginning of school up to the end of August and graduation to May, to continue the race the Elis would be forced to hang around until mid-June awaiting the end of classes for Harry Parker's charges.

No tradition, even at Yale, is worth saving when that kind of sacrifice is involved. So presently the athletic departments of both schools are attempting to secure a date, perhaps during the middle of the season, when the Sexton Cup could be rescheduled without conflict.

Saturday's race is number 108 in the series which Harvard leads 60-47. Harvard goes into the race the unquestioned favorite and in most crew circles is considered a sure bet to win number 61. The Crimson enters the contest with credentials idential to last year's. Unfortunately for the Elis, their credentials are also identical to last year's--mediocre at best.

Parker's varsity was undefeated in regular-season competition and posted a third-place finish in the Eastern Sprints. In the Sprints, held May 12 on Worcester's Lake Quinsigamond, Harvard finished third behind defending champion Northeastern and a strong Wisconsin eight. Last year the Crimson also came in third--behind the Northeastern Dogs and Brown.

Like their varsity counterparts, the Crimson second varsity and Yardling eights should power their way to easy victories as they did last season. The junior varsity and freshman will row three and two miles respectively in abbreviated versions of the varsity's four-mile jaunt. During the regular season all races are 2000 meters (approximately 1.5 miles).

The Harvard varisty opened the season by stroking to an impressive opening-regatta victory over Brown, smashing the Bruins by a little over a length in the Stein Cup on the Charles River. The Crimson has now won all nine of the Stein Cup races.

Following its Stein Cup victory, Harvard humbled Princeton and MIT in the Compton Cup, also on the Charles. The outcome was never in question, as the Crimson won going away. Harvard has now been in possession of the Compton Cup for 11 years and the win was the Crimson's 27th as compared to eight for the Tigers and a solo for the Engineers.

Gaining momentum, the varsity crushed Navy the next Saturday in the Adams Cup on the Severn River. The just-under-two-length victory over the host Middies gave the Crimson its second straight Adams Cup and a 20-8-8 edge over Pennsylvania and Navy in the series. Penn did not compete in this season's race due to a conflict with exams.

However, at the Sprints the next week after winning its morning heat, the Crimson was upended by the number-one seed and defending champion Northeastern.

While the varsity was on its way to three regular season victories in a row, the second varsity and freshman crews were busy keeping pace. The two eights won their first three regattas handily. At the Sprints, the top-seeded Yardlings were upset by a surprisingly powerful Dartmouth boat.

Seeded first like the freshman, the second varsity powered its way to a most impressive triumph and defended the championship it earned the year before.

After the Yale race, the second varsity will be heading to England to compete in the Royal Henley Regatta at Henley-on-Thames, England. The competition will begin July 4, and run through July 9.