Flint to Pace Track Squad In K. of C. Games Saturday

When Winter track steps out in bow tie and tuxedo Saturday evening for the annual Knights of Columbus track meet in the Boston Gardon, one of the most attentive spectators will be the Crimson's coach, Jaakko Mikkola. Fifteen of his athletes will run, vault, and hurdle their way through a 20-event program along with some 450 other entries representing the best in U. S. indoor track.

The Harvard group is divided into four units -- two sprinters, two hurdlers, three pole vaulters, and eight relay members. To say all these men are in razorsharp condition would be underestimating the effect of midyears. "The exams come first," says Jaakko grudgingly, "and running is secondary."

It is difficult to single out any member of the K of C group (or of the entire squad, for that matter) for special attention. They are all supplying Jaakko with the maximum amount of effort. Yet, if there is a white-haired boy, hurdler Wes Flint fits the label as well as anybody else.

One of the returned veterans who have been pumping plasma into a wartime casualty track squad, Flint is perhaps the most polished member of the current team. His fluid-drive style of skimming the barriers make him look good even in defeat. In the recent triangular practice meet, Flint won the 60-yard highs in 7.6, beating wartime IC4A winner Ted Sparrow, of Tufts.

Whether he can do as well Saturday night is something else again. Sparrow will be on hand. So will Sweden's Haakon Lidnan, Dillard (Baldwin Wallace), Nelson (NYU), Mitchell (Indiana), Alberghini (Northeastern), and a flock of lesser timber toppers. The 45-yard distance is short for Flint, who needs a lot of room in which to get rolling. He will have Dave Read as a running-mate.

Less glamorized than the Varsity's top hurdler, but posing a more dangerous scoring threat for the K of C meet, is the pole vaulting trio of Pete Harwood, Bill Lawrence, and Owen Torrey. In view of their 1-2-3 sweep of the Harvard-Tufts-Northeastern test, they may easily do some damage Saturday night. They are all capable of 12 1-2 feet and over.

No weight events are listed on the K of C program, but one of Jaakko's prize pupils, Sam Felton, will keep in shape by competing in the West Point Relays at West Point on January 25, the same day as the K of C carnival. Felton, who will have disposed of his last exam and returned to his New York home by Saturday, will throw the 35-pound weight in the West Point meet.

Jaakko's decision to enter Harvey Thayer and Bob Toppan in the K of C dash indicates increasing confidence in their ability. Regardless of whether they come out on top, they should get a great deal of experience running against men like Herbie Thompson, Ed Conwall, Phil Barnhardt, and Frank Zeimetz.

The Crimson's one-mile relay members seem to have drawn a softer assignment than their two - mile brothers. They have only Holy Cross and Brown to worry about, while the two-mile quartet will have to take on virtually the entire Greater Boston field, M.I.T., Boston College, Tufts, Northeastern, and Holy Cross.

Time trials decided which relay men would get the chance to test the Garden's now $25,000 board saucer. The results turned out pretty much as expected. Dave Hamblett, Al Ruby, Jim Wheeler, and Wes Flint will carry the mail for Harvard in the one-mile test, while Ted Withington, Johnry Cogan, Frank Gurley, and Dave Groshong will run in the longer event.

The running order will be announced at meet time. The one-mile combine is undefeated so far this season, their best effort coming against Northeastern on the Briggs balcony oval. In whipping the Huskies, Wharton, Ruby, Wheeler, and Flint were clocked in 3:30.1 with Flint misjudging the finish line and jogging the last ten yards. Cliff Wharton, not yet in top condition, will fill in for any of the eight relay men Saturday night if needed.