Princeton Harriers' Depth Whips Crimson and Elis

The Princeton cross country squad tuned up for next week's Heptagonal Championship by blanking Yale, 15-50, and drubbing Harvard, 24-35, at Princeton yesterday.

Princeton garnered eight of the top eleven positions to boost its dual-meet ledger to an impressive 8-1 mark and cut the Crimson victory string at three.

The Crimson did not come home empty-handed however, as it blasted a debilitated Eli unit, 18-39. Led by the three-four-five placing of Jim Keefe, Bill Muller and Stein Rafto, Harvard had little difficulty in mastering the Yale team that ran without its number one man, injury-riddled Dan Schlesinger.

The Tiger harriers wasted little time in exhibiting their strength. A large pack of Tigers burst to the front enveloping the Crimson and Elis.

At the one-and-a-half-mile mark Harvard's outlook improved when the second Tiger harrier sophomore John Cabell suffered an ankle injury and dropped from the race.

But this setback did not halt the rampaging Tigers. Captain Ron Bunnell forged a ferocious pace which separated him from the other runners.

Keefe and Muller tried to stick with the fleet Bunnell, but they both paled and fell far behind. Ron Vander Kraats of Princeton eased by the two faltering Crimson harriers and snatched the second position.

Rafto held sixth to give Harvard a respectable trio and a slim shot at victory. But following Rafto was a host of Princeton harriers that dispelled all hopes of a Crimson upset.

Little changed over the last two miles, as Bunnell glided to first, covering the five-mile course in 24:39.8. Vander Kraats gave the Tigers a one-two finish, following 23 seconds behind the Princeton captain.

Keefe led an evenly-bunched Crimson trio to the next three places. "I think I could have won," Keefe said after the race. "But I did not feel well and ran poorly."

Princeton captured the next six slots with its exceptional depth. Brian Dunn placed 13th and Bill Okerman finished 15th to round out the Crimson scoring. Yale was well out of the race as their first man crossed the finish line 12th.