Heavies Surprise Navy; Tigers, Elis Top Lights

Just when Harvard's rivals thought it was safe to go back onto the water--the men's heavy weight crew proved otherwise upsetting top-ranked Navy for the second year in a row to win the sixth straight Adams Cup for Harvard on the Charles Saturday.

This year's Cup was supposed to belong to Navy, but the Midshipmen didn't even row well enough to place second as Pennsylvania nosed them at the finish line by two feet finishing at 6.29.4. The Crimson mean while, battled the head wind on the Charles to an openwater victory eating up the opposition in 6.24.8.

The outcome surprised many Previously undefeated Navy topped a coaches' poll taken earlier in the week, which ranked Harvard a distant fourth, mainly due to its loss last week at Princeton. In addition, Navy impressed many Cantabrigians by sweeping to an impressive victory in the heavyweight division of the Head of the Charles in October.

What a difference six months can make In Saturday's race Penn got off the start line quickest, but the Crimson cruised past its competition with a power 20 at the 800-meter mark, opening up a five-seat lead.

Navy failed to respond to the Harvard boat's move, and for the rest of the 2000-meter course the oarsmen never looked back. "I think Navy got a little discouraged when we moved on them so well right before the 1000-meter mark" Captain and bow-man Campbell Rogers said yesterday. "We showed that when we wanted to move on them we could do it."

The win is likely to move the Crimson into one of the top three seedings at the Eastern Sprints in two weeks, the key race of the year. Yale and Princeton are likely to be the top two seeds, with Navy fourth.

Thursday the heavies travel to California for a weekend race against UCLA, which should provide stiff competition going into the Sprints. The Bruins beat Harvard in last year's San Diego Classics.

For Whom the Bell Tolls

While for the heavies Saturday was a day of triumph, for Harvard's lightweights it was a day of reckoning.

In all six races on New Jersey's Lake Carnegie Saturday the Crimson lights came up short, overwhelmed by stronger boats from Princeton and Yale.

The varsity lights suffered one of the more disappointing races of the day for Harvard. Billed as a race that would go down to the wire between the three boats. Princeton rewrote the script for the Goldwaithe Cup by making a move near the halfway point and then steadily increasing its lead, finally winning in open water.

The Crimson never mounted a challenge after that point, and in the sprinting of the last 100 meters lost by two seats to Yale, finishing last.

A strong tailwind and smooth water conditions contributed to a very fast race which featured record-breaking times on the course by all three varsity boats. But even more of a factor was Princeton, which set the pace for three-quarters of the race.

Seven seniors in the Tiger boat had something to prove Saturday, after losing a cliffhanger in the Goldwaithe Cup last year to Yale (first) and Harvard (second). In addition, Princeton had the responsibility of living up to its 7-0 record entering this race.

The Tigers did that and more, earning themselves a near-certain top seeding in the Eastern Sprints two weeks from now. "They rowed the race of their lives, but everyone knows this isn't the end of the story," Harvard six-man Jess Sparks said.

The final act comes in Worcester in two weeks, where Harvard is the defending champion. Traditionally, the winner of the Goldwaithe Cup also cops the Eastern Sprints crown, but Harvard reversed that trend last year with a strong showing at Worcester after having lost to Yale earlier.

Adams Cup, Charles River

Varsity:1 Harvard 6:24:6; 2 Pennsylvanians 6:29 4:3 Navy 6:29 J.V.; I.Navy 6.25.6; 2, Harvard 6:31.0; 3. Pennsylvania 6:43.0. First Freshmen; 1. Harvard 6:21.0; 2. Pennsylvanian 6:28.0; 3. Navy 6:37.5. Second Freshman; 1. Harvard 6:33.0; 2. Pennsylvania 6:45.0.

Goldwartha Cup, Lake Carriages, N.J.

Varsity: 1. Princeton 5:43.9; 2. Yale 5:46.7; 3. Harvard 5:47.1. J.V.; 1. Yale 5:52.0; 2. Harvard 5:55.7; 3. Princeton 6:15.1. Third Varsity; 1. Princeton 6:03.4; 2. Yake 6:09.5; 3. Harvard 6:15.3. First Freshman; 1. Yale 6:07:0; 2. Princeton 6:11.4; 3. Harvard 6:17.8. Second Freshman; 1. Princeton 6:19.1; 2. Harvard 6;19.5; 3. Yale 6:21.0.