Track Champions in K. C. Meet Fail to Produce for 13,500 Fans

Harvard competitors conformed with the general performances of the evening Saturday night by being unoutstanding in an unoutstanding K. of C. Track Meet. The only Crimson runner to place in the finals was sparks Sorlien '38 who gained third in the 300 yard run.

Truck fans filled the Boston Garden to capacity to see what they hoped would be repetition of the B. A. A. Games of a year age.

Champions were entered in every event. Cunningham, San Romani, and Venzke were running the mile. Ben Johnson, Eulace Peacock, Marty Glickman, and Lawrence Scanlon were in the dash. The great Don Lash, who last year in the B. A. A. Games set a world record in the two-mile distance was running again, and was also reputed to be considering taking a crack at the mile record. All the starts were coming.

And all the stars did come. Standing room tickets sold for $1.10. But 13,500 fans went home late that evening after an evening of almost mediocre performances without seeing a single record broken.

The 13,500 trapsed home in a healthy, sentimental mood, however, for they were given the opportunity just before the 600 to pay tribute to William C. Prout, Knights of Columbus brother, who instituted the first K. of C. Meet. Lights were dimmed, and the audience was asked to rise in their seats and stand in silence for a full minute. The silence was prolonged, however, by difficulty with the amplifier switchboard which delayed "The Star Spangled Banner" from starting until well on into the minute.

Four Harvard hurdlers competed in their event Saturday night. Roger Schafer '41, and Sherman Hoar '40 were put out in their trial heats running against intercollegiate champion Jack Donovan and world champion Sam Allen respectively. Mason Fernald '40 was second in his trial heat, and was put out in the first heat of the semi-finals, but likewise failed to service the semi-finals. In the finals Olympic winner Forest (Spect) by Donovan of Dartmouth. Big disappointment of this event was Sam Allen, last in the finals.

The 50 yard dash was taken by Ben Johnson of Columbia. The two surprises of this event were the second place of Ken Clapp of Brown over Marty Glickman of Syracuse and the failure of Eulace Peacock to qualify for the finals.

Sparks Sorlien cased through his trial heat in the 300 to make a qualifying second place, and in the finals he came in third, Hobart Lerner '40 felt as he rounded the first turn in his trial heat, Gaining his feet he raced on barely to be nipped at the tape for the qualifying second place position.

Al Hanlon '39 failed to place in the Prout 600. Captain Alex Northrop '38 also disappointed expectations by falling behind in the 1000 yard run.

The high-jump drew a good deal of attention. It was won by a high school boy, Les Steers, of Pale Alto, California at 6ft. 5 3-4 in. Two Harvard jumpers competed, Guill Aertsen '40 and Bob Partlow '41, Aertsen, holder of the Freshman record at 6 ft., 1 5-8 in, cleared 5 ft., 11 in, and Partlow cleared the 6 ft., 1-4 in, mark, but failed at the next height.

Don Lash won the tow-mile, as expected, but not in the manner expected. Old-times Joe McClusky held the lead most of the way, Lash hanging back--once in fourth place. As Joe pimped around the last curve it looked as though the crowd's favorite was going to win, but Lash whipped out and around to break the tape first, ahead of McClusky. This was the most exciting race of the evening, though Lash's time was comparatively slow, 9:4.6, over six seconds behind Lash's record.

Cunningham, San Romani, and Venzke were at the start ready to go when Lash announced he would also run the mile. But Lash did not prove to be the iron man for he was far behind at the end of race. The first half was slow, and Cunningham had plenty of strength to send him out ahead at the finish. The finish was fast, but the time, 4:13.8, two seconds slower than his time last year.