Men's Cross Country Team Gains Seventh at Heptagonals

The men's cross country team ended their regular season yesterday with a disappointing seventh-place finish in the annual heptagonal meet midst the winding paths and rolling hills of Van Cortlandt Park in New York City.

Princeton won the Columbia-hosted contest--which included teams from all Ivy League schools and Army and Navy--with an astonishing six runners finishing among the first 12, five completing the five-mile course in under 25 minutes.

Although the team fared poorly as a whole--amassing 192 dismal points--the cool temperatures and hot competition led to fast times for all of Harvard's runners. Eric Schuler, the Crimson's top finisher, came in 18th with a time of 25:10 but said, "This was the best race I have run all year. I liked the course, the temperature was perfect, and the competition was really good."

The next four finishers for Harvard were sophomore Andy Gerkin placing 35th with a time of 25:35, freshmen sensations Criss Sheehan (25:47) and Peter Jelley (25:48) placing 41st and 42nd, and senior Ralph Smith coming in 56th with a time of 26:17.

The Crimson, composed mainly of underclassmen, sorely missed the leadership and full ability of its three injured seniors--captain Adam Dixon, Keck Shepard and Peter Johnson. The superlative Dixon, out since the second meet with an injured knee, did not even make the trip, and Shepard was prevented from running because of a serious groin pull. Johnson, a gutsy Eliot House resident, ran in the meet despite a sore ankle but finished near the end of the pack.

A major disappointment was the injury to sophomore Paul McNulty. McNulty, in tenth position after the two-mile mark and, "running really well--I have never felt better," fell down a steep hill and sprained his ankle, which prevented him from finishing the race.

But good news came in the long, lean form of Schuler's roomate, junior Andrew Regan, whose time of 25:58 in the J.V. race would have placed him among the varsity's top five runners. Regan, who has been running inconsistently all year, was placed on the J.V. because each team can only enter nine runners in the varsity event.

The Crimson, finishing 4-4 on the year and second in the Greater Boston League behind Boston University, has an outside chance to qualify for the national championships, which take place next week. Next weekend's performance at the national qualifying meet may gain them a slot.

Confused with the team's mediocre finish, Johnson said, "I don't understand it. We had great team spirit and a good deal of talent. I think the competition all across New England was tough this year. Watch out for next year's squad, though, coach McCurdy and I think it will be a powerhouse."