SMITH MACDONALD READY TO SPRINT IN YALE TRACK MEET

Bright spot in the forthcoming Yale meet in the fact that Jaakko Mikkola will have a strong entry in the sprints. Charlie Smith has almost fully recovered from his ankle injury and will be available for services as will Torbie Macdonald, who proved a time trial yesterday afternoon that he is ready for work.

So poor have sprint prospects been this season that Jaakko did not sand an entry to the Heptagonals in Philadelphia last Saturday. Smith pulled a muscle in his leg at the start of the outdoor season and was unable to complete in either that Holy Cross-Northeastern triangular or the dual meet with Darmouth.

Torbie Macdonald was kept out of these meets owing to the proximity of divisionals and then suffered a sprained ankle to keep him out of the Heptagonals.

Meredith Converted

In the absence of his regular sprinters Coach Mikkola was forced to borrow men from other events. He converted quarter-miler Ted Meredith into a sprinter. Although Meredith did creditably in the Dartmouth meet, finishing third behind Ritter, winner of the Heptagonal dash his time of 10.2 could not offer any competition for Owen and Rothschild, the Yale dash men.

Roger Schafer, who regularly runs in high and low hurdles, was used in the 220-yard dash in the meet at Hanover. He placed second behind Ritter, who ran the event in the excellent time of 21.9 seconds. Schafer was clocked in slightly better than 22.1 seconds for the distance.

Smith resumed training last week, but did not have time to get in shape for the Heptagonal. Coach Mikkola kept him out for the added reason that he did not wish him to risk a strain. The last pull would have surely have eliminated him from the all-important Yale meet this week-end.

Serious Preparation

Although Smith will be in far from perfect condition despite this week of serious preparation, he will be able to give the Yale sprinters a serious battle for the honors. His leg, which is still bothering him slightly, will probably make a 9.9 second 100, such as he ran on several occasions last year, out of the question for him. This time would be good enough to almost insure a first in the event.

Smith's running mate in the 100-yard dash, Torbie Machdonald, showed up yesterday afternoon for practice for the first time since his injury. Although he has had little previous practice so far this year, the results of a time trial brought a broad smile to harrassed Coach Mikkola's face.

Macdonald's running mate in the trial was Dave Ives, the broad jumper, who was unable to push Torbie, finishing about four yards back at the tape. Ives was off his mark first, but Macdonald passed him midway down the straightway and won the case.

Wind Helps

There was a strong wind aiding the runners but Macdonald's time, which was slightly under 10.3 seconds, is remarkable considering his lack of practice. With a full week's work under his belt, he should be able to approach 10 seconds flat, which he made consistently last year.

The Elis have a formidable sprint entry in Owen and Rothschild, but top performances by the Harvard entry could easily beat them. Owen was a hot favorite to capture the honors at Philadelphia last week-end, but he jumped the gun once too often and was disqualified. For this reason, he may prove over-cautious and get away from the mark slowly this Saturday. In that event, Macdonald or Smith would have a better than even chance to grab of first place.

Donnelly in Dash

The situation in the 220-yard dash is brightened by the presence of Joe Donnelly and Hobie Lerner. The elimination of the mile relay gives these men a chance to compete in the dash. Although Donnelly and Lerner cannot best yale's Owen, Donnelly stands a fair chance of beating Rothschild.

Roger Schafer could probably do better for the Crimson in the 220, but it is questionable if Jaako will want to risk using him in three events. Running the sprint might prevent him from making a top try in the high and low hurdles where it is hoped he will earn some points.