Relay, Hurdlers Lead Track Team

"It's been over 20 years since we beat Yale indoors, but this team has the spirit and the potential to do it," Coach Bill McCurdy said yesterday.

If he track team does defeat Yale and Princeton in the annual triangular meet on Feb. 22, much of the credit will go to McCurdy, who has built a winning squad from a group of inexperienced sophomores and a patchwork of veteran seniors and juniors.

Forced to juggle last year's record breaking mile relay team when Alan Howe pulled a leg muscle, McCurdy came up with a combination of holdovers: Dave Wharton, and Captain Bob Rittenburg. This team has already worked well enough to lower its predecessor's University record of 3:20.6 to 3:19.5.

In he hurdles Joe Cohen and Rittenburg have broken the University 60-yard record in practice meets. "Their time of 7.6 in the Millrose Games places them among the top hurdlers in Eastern Collegiate competition," McCurdy said. Yale and Princeton are both weak in this event land shouldn't give the Crimson much trouble two weeks hence.

The varsity's results in the dashes and long distances has been its greatest weakness and source of dissatisfaction to McCurdy. He bemoans the fact that Yale fields one of its finest groups of sprinters, led by IC4A 220 champ Hank Thresher.

Graduation also weakened the Crimson two mile event, with the loss of Hank Gerry. "10.00 is a respectable time for this distance, but no one on the squad this year has come within 15 seconds of that mark," McCurdy said.

An unexpected disappointment to McCurdy has been the accidents which have hobbled his milers, Phil Williams leg injuries have sidelined them both. so, McCurdy has converted Art Wills from the two mile.

A surprisingly improved two-mile relay team may, however, make up for the points that Williams and Morris were expected to add to the varsity's scores.

The varsity's outlook in the field events is as spotty as its running strength. While Cari Goldman and Art siler have continued to do well in the weight throw and shot put, McCurdy has not found a consistent winner in the high jump or pole vault.

Goldman repeatedly heaves the weight over 50 feet in competition and has approached 55 feet in practice. Still, he must better his past efforts if he hopes to defeat Yale's Steward Thompson, who throws the shot 59 feet.

Art Siler, whose best heave is 48 feet, eight inches, expects to extend this distance to hold Thompson.

Kilby Smith's vacation injury has kept him from returning to winning form in the pole vanit and none of his replacements have cleared 12 feet so far.

sophomore Hank Moore, Rittenburg, and Cohen are McCurdy's most dependable performers in the high jump and broad jump. Moore and Rittenburg have cleared six feet in the high jump, but according to McCurdy "They're still learning their event and will have to do a great deal better." In the broad jump Rittenburg has covered 22 feet and Cohen has leaped nearly as far, making this one of the Crimson's strongest field events.

McCurdy's team has already pulled a notable upset against B.U. although the team is rated and underdog against Yale, a combination of the victories in the relay the hammer the jump, and the shot that spelled defeat for the Terriers may also mean a beating for the Elis.