Track Team Upsets Army, 88-52, In First Meet of Spring Season

An inspired Crimson track team turned in the biggest upset of the young outdoor season last Saturday at West Point, defeating heavily-favored Army by a resounding 88-52 margin. The Cadet varsity that New York writers were calling "the best dual meet team in the East" bowed before one of the most impressive performances ever put on by a Crimson squad.

Dyke Benjamin led off the varsity's triumph with an excellent 4:15.6 win over Army's Dick Healy in the mile. Less than an hour later, he came back to take the two-mile, leaving Cadet Dick Greene far behind and setting a new Harvard and Shea Stadium record of 9:08.5. Benjamin's mark was nearly 13 seconds faster than Pete Reider's former University standard, and it establishes him as perhaps the leading distance runner in this part of the country.

But it was captain Albie Gordon who precipitated the Crimson onslaught. With the meet score at 9-9 after the mile and hammer throw results were in, Gordon, Dave Brahms, and Lee Barnes took the mark against Army's Dave Gray and Ron Salter in the critical 440 race. After Barnes had set the early pace, Gordon took the lead with 200 yards to go and held off Salter's challenge with a thundering stretch drive. Brahms caught Salter to take second, and from then on the Crimson could do little wrong.

Joel Landau, Frank Yeomans, and Sandy Dodge followed the 440 victory with a sweep in the 100, but the heroics were just beginning. After Landau, running the high hurdles only ten minutes after his 10.1 win in the 100, lost a close race to Cadet Gil Roesler, the varsity's Art Cahn, Gus Schumacher, and Andy Bacher faced Army's Bill Hanne in the 880.

Bacher ran the first 440 yards in 54.0, and it seemed he might go all the way until Schumacher caught him with about 350 yards remaining. Hanne passed Schumacher with 180 yards to go and looked like a sure winner, when Cahn came from nowhere and caught him with his last stride. Yeomans and Gordon then finished one-two in the 220, giving the Crimson 17 out of 18 points in the sprints.

Meanwhile, big things were happening in the field events. Jim Doty finished a creditable second to Army's Ed Bagdonas in the hammer, and John deKiewiet surprised the favored Cadet high jumpers by winning the event with a 6 ft., 1 1/2 in. leap. Hank Abbot and Steve Cohen took second and third in the shot, and Stan Doten and John Bronstein added four points in the discus.

Bob Downs finished second in the broad jump, which the Cadets figured to sweep, losing by the scant margin of one inch. Pat Liles was third, just two inches behind winner John Hoas of Army, even though he severely twisted his ankle before the meet.

With the javelin seemingly all over and Army men in first and second places, Tom Blodgett came over from the pole vault pit to take his last two throws. On his next-to-last attempt he threw the spear 184 ft., 1 in. to snatch the victory away from Army. Then he went back to the pole vault and, on his final try there, won the event with a 13-ft. effort. Sam Halaby cleared a surprising 12 ft., 6 in. to tie Army's John Young for second.

Landau came back to defeat Roesler in the low hurdles, but it was left for Gordon to climax the meet. After a succession of good Army legs and poor Crimson stick passes had given the Cadets what looked like a secure 12-yard lead, Gordon overhauled Grant Schaefer in another stirring finish for the Crimson's final five points.

As he crossed the line, Gordon threw the baton high into the stands. Ten steps later, he was mobbed by his teammates. In seconds he and coach Bill McCurdy were receiving a free ride to the dressing room to the accompaniment of "Harvardiana." It was a fitting ending to a great day.

Although the Freshmen lost by three points, 71 1/2 to 68 1/2, they set two, and possibly three, new records. Mark Mullin ran the mile in 4:17.0, by seven seconds the best of his career, and Ed Bailey threw the hammer 170 ft., 9 1/2 in. to take his event by 45 feet. Bob Knapp and captain Harry Rich dead-heated in the 880 in 1:55.4, for what seems to be another Yardling record.