Berman Shines in 600, Relay at K. of C, Contest

It's something of pity that Boston college doesn't have three 52 second quarter millers to match with its fleet anchor man, Irv Howe, who won the accollade of the evening by turning in a 49.3 leg Saturday night at the Garden's Knights of Columbus meet. A half hour later Harvard's Ronnie Berman received a slightly milder ovation for anchoring the Crimson to a half-step win over-come a 15-yard deficit and catch Yale's Rollie Sultze and Dartmouth's Dave Krivitzky to do it. His time was 49.7.

It should be worth far more than the price of admission (free) when the two teams meet early next month to see these runners start the final relay leg close together. Unfortunately, the overall Eagle time was nearly five seconds slower than Harvard's. The two men will probably meet in the 600, but Howe hasn't a chance in the longer distance of hokling the pace that electrified 11,367 Garden fans.

But local boy Howe electrified the Boston sports writers too, with the result of Sunday morning one-track raves although Berman caught some share of honor.

Berman, a former Eastern Interscholastic half-mile title-holder, was expected by the most optimistic to run a fast fifth against the field of champions in the Prout Invitation 600. For the first two laps he ran last while indoor A.A.U. titlist Hugo Maioeco land Olympic 400-meter record breaker Arthur Wint threw elbows at each other.

Maioeco faded to fourth, and on the last lap Berman pulled past him and Olympic finalist Morrls Currotta. At the tape Berman was partially boxed behind Wint and outdoor champion George Rhoden. The race went to Rhoden in 1:12.5, with Wint and Berman less than a second behind.

Out of seven mile relays the Crimson time--3:26.4--was third to that of seton Hall and Fordham. Ed Grutzner, a runner very close to Berman in ability, built up a short lead on the first leg and passed the baton to John Packard and tom McGrath. The advantage that Berman had to make up came when Dartmouth's Pete McCreary blased through his third leg and took the led from McGrath.

Freshmen Win Too

The one other Harvard win came on the 3:31.9 time of freshmen relayers Joe Ratyna, Bill Lowder, Phil Meyers, and Paul Sheats. The Yardlings ran away from Brown, M.I.T., Tufts, and Boston College, in that order of finish. Hurdler Charlie Durakis won his first heat, qualified in the semi-finals, and dropped the final to the big names of Harrison Dillard, Jim Gehrdes, and McCreary.

Two-milers Dave Cairns, Joe Rosen, Dave Gregory, and Jim Downey finished second to M.I.T. with both groups lapping the rest of the field. Bob Mello and dick Barwise were unable to duplicate their own past performances in the pole vault and high jump.

On Saturday, and in previous sweeps over Northeastern, B.U., Tufts, and M.I.T., Jaakko Mikkola's team showed that it could go through this season undefeated. Dartmouth will not be an easy opponent, but Yale has recently been the big annual challenge. Eli distancerunners dick McDougal, Ed Mearns, and Frank Efinger and still around, but national-ranking miler George wade and weightmen Jim Fuchs, Vic Frank, and Spence cone have been graduated.

The big local losses (Dave Carter, Harvey Thayer, and Geoff Tootell) have not hit the Crimson nearly so hard.