Harvard Athletes Depart For Greener Pastures

In the other Cambridge--the one in England--students adopt a different approach to the completion of the academic year. In contrast to Harvard students, who disappear to presumably greener pastures after handing in their final blue book the overseas Cantabrigians take some time off and linger around campus awaiting their exam results. The occasion, naturally is used as an excuse for widespread partying, a phenomenon which has attracted a fair degree of attention in certain international circles

All of which is relevant to Harvard athletics for one reason last week a group of Crimson track and field competitors witnessed the celebration firsthand while they were outclassing a squad from Cambridge Oxford in their biannual meeting The point is that while the British play around after exams. Harvard athletes play by a different set of rules

The Crimson track team is the most obvious example Three days after the Commencement ceremonies the team competed in Birmingham, England, the first of five meets in a trip that took them throughout England and into Ireland. The men's heavyweight crew team also sent Crimson representatives to the United Kingdom Harvard has entered two boats in the annual Henley Regatta, and 13 Crimson oarsmen plus a coach are presently preparing for that event

Whether in England, California, Colorado Springs, Newport, Wisconsin or Bermuda, the Crimson's finest are "spanning the globe." as they say on ABC's "Wide World of Sports" And in case the network doesn't catch all of Harvard-related action, below is a necessarily incomplete account of who's where, when, and what to expect

Men's Crew

Following Harvard's victory in the Nationals last weekend in Cincinnati, local columnist Lonnie Wheeler was a bit sarcastic when he asked readers of the Sunday morning paper. "Why weren't these kids yachting oft Newport, anyway, or summering in Nantucket." The answer, of course, is that the Harvard crew had better things to do, namely show 12,400 Cincinnati folk who didn't know better why the Eastern "preppies" from Harvard can row a crew shell through the water faster than anyone else in the nation. Wheeler wasn't the only one surprised. Previously undefeated Western powerhouse Washington, Brown and Yale were similarly nonplussed at being left behind in the Crimson wake.

The victory at Nationals earned Harvard a berth in the Henley Regatta in England, an opportunity which four oarsmen in Harvard's championships eight will take advantage of. Rich Atkinson, Jamie Fargo, Paul Jeffrey and Campbell Rogers will compete as a foursome next week, joining the freshman heavyweight boat coached by Ted Washburn, which triumphed in the Eastern Sprints in May to garner a place in the regatta. Both boats stand an excellent chance to win their respective races.

Three other members of the heavyweight varsity--Mike Ryan, Dan Simon and John Smith--are participating in a sweeps camp in Wisconsin, vying for the U.S. National team. In addition, varsity stroke Andy Sudduth is training at Dartmouth with Coach Harry Parker for the U.S. National team, preparing to race in a foursome at the World Championships to be held in West Germany in late August. Sudduth, who already has a bronze and a silver medal from previous World Championships, will take next year off from Harvard to train for the 1984 Olympics.

Women's Crew

Radcliffe's answer to Sudduth is outgoing varsity crew coach Carie Graves, who last week, rowing in a foursome for the Boston Rowing Club, triumphed in the National Amateur Rowing Championships in Indianapolis. In the same regarts an undergraduate, Mary Ellen Finney, combined with a partner to take top honors in the Lightweight Pair Class

Graves is currently training with the U S National team in Princeton while two other Radcliffe oarswomen Sarah Cox and Rose mary Pugh are competing this week in the National Sports Festival in Colorado Springs Colo

Men's Hockey

Other Harvard athletes among the thousands competing this week in Colorado Springs are four representatives of the hockey team Greg Britz Mark Fusco, Greg Olson, and Neil Sheehy The Sports Festival will determine who makes the U S National team which becomes the Olympic team to compete in Yugoslavia in 1984

Of the four recent Harvard graduates, Fusco is in the best position to make the Olympics The 1983 Hobey Baker Award recipient as the top collegiate player, Fusco has a space reserved for him on the 26-man national team. Younger brother Scott Fusco was also invited to Colorado Springs but is sidelined with a groin injury The younger Fusco should get another chance later this summer

While four of their teammates vie to represent the U S. Greg Chalmers and Shayne Kuklowicz (both still under grads) accepted invitations to the Canadian Olympic tryouts now being held in Toronto Goalie Grant Blair also received an invitation but declined to participate

Men's Diving

The king of Harvard diving. Dan Watson, will be among the more active Crimson athletes this summer, beginning with the diving championships in Colorado Springs this weekend Watson is competing in the three-meter springboard and 10-meter platform events, hoping to qualify for the Pan-American Games to be held in August. The two top finishers in each event earn a ticket south.

Based on his previous performances. Watson stands a good chance of making the grade. The soon-to-be junior took third in the three-meter at the U.S. Indoor Nationals in Indianapolis last April and a year ago won the national championship in the platform event. At the Sports Festival Watson is competing against perennial champion Greg Louganis of UCal-Irvine and other world-class divers. "The U.S. has the best divers in the world, and Dan's definitely one of them," Harvard dining coach John Walker says.

Whether Watson succeeds or not in Colorado Springs, the diver will travel to Ronneby, Sweden, this coming week to compete in the Swedish Cup, which features the top 16 divers in the world. Watson is among the eight seeded divers and stands a good chance to win the three-meter competition.

The remainder of Watson's summer itinerary includes a possible meet in Austria and the U.S. Outdoor Nationals at Oklahoma in early August.

Men's Water Polo

Water Polo Co-Captains Dave Fasi and Steve Munatones are also representing the Crimson at Colorado Springs this week, competing for the East in a four-team tournament. Although the Eastern team is headed by Brown coach Ed Reed, few college undergraduates were invited to participate. Fasi and Munatones both took part in last year's Sports Festival as well.

Teammate Robbie Strauss, who will be a sophomore in the fall, has been chosen for the National Junior Camp and will compete for two weeks in August at Colorado Springs.

Men's Tennis

As expected, Howard Sands, Harvard's top tennis player the past four years, has turned pro and will sign a contract this week with a management agent group. The recent graduate will spend the summer trying to qualify for pro tournaments and establish an ATP ranking

Sandy's pro career begins later this week when he'll attempt to qualify for the Hall of Fame Tournament in Newport. R.I. The three-time college All-American will follow the Newport tourney by competing in the U S Pro Championships at the Longwood Cricket Club in Chestnut Hill beginning July 12.

Sandy's former teammate. Larry Scott, is competing this weekend in the Junior Davis Cup Team try outs in Los Angeles If successful. Scott will travel on the national junior circuit this summer, his last year of eligibility. Also competing in the 18-and-under classification this summer are incoming freshmen Bill Stanley of Rye. N Y (currently ranked in the top fire in the nation), and Darryl Laddin of Minnesota Stanley and Laddin are also vying for the Junior Davis Cup team.

Men's Squash

Varsity squash coach Dave Fish has been selected to head the first ever National Junior Squash team, which will compete in Bermuda the week of July 8-15 Included on the team is Kevin Jernigan, brother of Harvard's top racquet man, Kentor., and an incoming freshman