Radcliffe, Harvard Crews Top-Seeded in Sprints

The Harvard lightweight crew will be shooting to recapture the Eastern Sprints title it lost to Princeton last year on Lake Quinsigamond tomorrow.

Princeton's victory in that race snapped Harvard's five-year domination of the Sprints' championship.

However, the Crimson, who attained the top seed by virtue of their impressive three-quarters length victory over the Tigers Sunday, is out to start another rowing dynasty.

The five `Super Sophs' in the boat-stroke Ned Reynolds, Leif Soderberg (6), Mac Heller (5), Bob Leahey (4) and John Kiger (5)-have never lost a race in their intercollegiate careers sporting a 9-0 lifetime record. Needless to say, it's a streak they'd like to keep alive.

The seniors on the team, Paul McKenna (1), Peter Huntsman (3) and coxswain-captain Chris Ross, have their own reasons for wanting a victory.

"I want this race badly," Huntsman says. "It's my last college race, and I'd like to win as a matter of personal satisfaction and achievement."

They, in addition to junior Todd Howard (7), remember the bitter taste of defeat at last year's Sprints.

"It was no fun to lose," says cox Ross.

The way the Sprints is set up, the even-numbered seeds race in one heat, and the odd-numbered seeds race in the other. The top three finishers from each heat then advance to the finals later in the day.

Unless the Crimson shell hits a sunken mine or runs aground, there's no way it can miss getting to the final round. Only MIT has a reasonable chance of upsetting Harvard in the heat, but the Crimson beat the Engineers by a convincing six seconds earlier this year and should win the heat.

Then it's on to the finals and a rematch with the Tigers.

The top-seeded junior varsity should retain its Sprints crown, with second-seed Pennsylvania providing the main opposition.

The crew has an excellent stroke in veteran senior Jerry Boak. Like the varsity, the J.V.'s are a young crew with juniors Rich Harper, Woody Harlan and Tim Hackert, and sophomores Dave Porter, Jack Foley, Mark Sieber and Greg Miller.