TRACKMEN BATTLE NAVY FOR HEPS CROWN

Back in February, Bill McCurdy took his favored Crimson track team to the Heptagonals at Cornell and escaped with the championship trophy by the hair on his chinny-chin-chin. The final score read 43 1/2-42 and the meet wasn't decided until the final performance of the final event.

Tomorrow McCurdy takes his boys to the outdoor Heps in New Haven, and it wouldn't surprise anyone if this one turns out just as close. Once again the Crimson will be the team to beat, and once again Navy will be the team that can beat them. The broad jump, the dashes, and the hurdles will make or break Harvard's chances for its first outdoor Heps title since 1956.

Aggrey Awori and Chris Ohiri finished one-two in the broad jump indoors at Cornell, but neither has topped 23'9" this spring. Midshipman Jerry Negin has the season's best jump, a 23' 11" effort, and teammate Steve Bliss has also lept past the 23-foot mark.

A weary Awori?

Ohiri and Awori are tough competitors, but the Ugandan, burdened with trials and (hopefully) finals in two dash events, may have to take a back seat to the pair from Annapolis.

The sprint field is so evenly matched that Awori could miss qualifying for one of those finals. One the brighter side, the same fate could easily befall either of Navy's two sprinters, John Sai and Skip Paskewich.

With Penn's John Owens out with an ankle sprain, Awori's and Sai's 0:09.9 clockings stand as the league's best times in the 100. But Columbia's John O'Grady and Princeton's John Ball, who won the Heptagonal sprint indoors, are both potential winners.

Navy's Courtland Gray copped the hurdles title at Cornell in February, but the Crimson seems to have profited more from the addition of the second hurdle event outdoors. Gray and Army's Kent Allen rank as co-favorites in the 120-highs, with the Crimson's Tony Lynch the third choice.

Allen beat Lynch in the 440-intermediates last month, but the Crimson sophomore has improved since then and now rates the second choice in the event behind Penn's Ken Reynard. A big boost for the Crimson will come if rejuvenated senior Jack Spitzberg can rack up some hurdle points.

We Must Overcome

The rest of the meet shapes up as a Navy advantage in the field events which may or may not be overcome by the Crimson runners. Hulking Mike Berkowitz, with a 59-foot put to his credit, will probably win the shot. The Crimson's Art Croasdale, Yale's Chuck Mercein, and Tom Gage of Cornell will battle for second, with Croasdale holding the edge.

Harvard's John Bakkensen should repeat last spring's discus victory, but the Middies have some powerful point potential in Chip Jackson, who throws in the 160's, and Terry Merritt and Tom Turner, both in the high 150's.

The javelin will pit Paul Mallas of Navy against Columbia's Len, DeFlore for the championship. Croasdale should cop the hammer throw with Columbia's Bill Brown, Cornell's Gage, and Midshipman Bill Gleeson the top contenders. All have topped 170'.

Navy's Mike Brown and Army's Dick Plymale will battle for the pole vault diadem near the 6-foot mark, just as they did in February when Plymale finished on top.

The big three, John Hartnett, Kim Hill, and Pardee will clash once again in the high jump. Hartnett's 6' 9 1/2" is the spring's best, 1 1/4" higher than Hill and a full 3" higher than Pardee.

Happiness for the Crimson is the triple jump, where Ohiri looms as a solid favorite and Pardee and Olufemi Olunloyo are good bets to score. Eddie Anderson and Gordon Shindle of Penn. and Bob Tetu and Dave Kuhn of Army will be their competition.

Soldier Boy

Bill Straub will probably give West Point its moment of glory with wins in the mile and two-mile, but the Ed. Meehan-paced Crimson runners should be the top scorers. Meehan will be a solid second choice in the mile, if Brown's Dave Farley runs in the 330, and the Crimson senior just might upset his cadet rival.

In the two-mile, Walt Hewlett has a shot at second place, but will be pressed by Williams (9:12.3), Jim Byard of Cornell (9:14), and Eli rival Jeff Sidney, the indoor champion.

The Crimson should score heavily in the 330-yard run. John Ogden has the fastest time with a 1:51.6 clocking, and Keith Chiappa has been preparing himself for Heptagonal competition with 440 work most of the spring. Brown's Farley will be the toughest competition, and Navy's John Wright should press the Crimson duo.

Wendell Mottley means probable victories for Yale in the 440-yd. run and mile relay, the Crimson's two weakest running events. Army's Rance Farrell and Keith Jenkins are likely 440 scorers, and the West Point mile quartet is the second best in the league.