Spurned VPW Leaves Track After Election

A disappointed Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace quit the Harvard track team yesterday after the squad elected pole vaulter Blayne Heckel and weight man Steve Niemi as 1974-75 captains.

Vanderpool-Wallace, who holds the Harvard record in the long jump, said yesterday that he "would just sit back a while" to determine for himself whether it was racial considerations that caused his former teammates to elect Niemi and Heckel.

Juniors Niemi and Heckel will step into the shoes of two of this year's captains-- shot-putter Jay Hughes and pole-vaulter Jim Kliegar.

Vanderpool-Wallace is black, while both Heckel, Niemi and most of the team are white

Niemi, who is a shot-putter and hammer-thrower, said yesterday that his selection was a "great honor."

However, Niemi denied that race played a part in the decision.

"I know a few people tend to think so because they can't imagine why Vinny didn't get elected," he said. "But I don't see it as a negative vote against him."

Vanderpool-Wallace said that he had all of the criteria for leadership and added that he would not have quit if just one captain had been named.

VPW consistently wins the long-jump and triple jump for the thin clads. He also runs the anchor leg in the 440 relays.

He said the first competitive events he will miss due to having quit are the IC4A's next week, and then the Nationals next month.

Fred Nance, a black track player, said the decision was racial.

Running coach Robert Hunt would not comment on VPW's decision yesterday.