Crimson to Romp in Heps

Tomorrow's Heptagonal track meet in New Haven should be the dullest one in years. Usually there's a favored team and a darkhorse or two that just could pull an upset. This year there's Harvard, and that's all.

In the indoor Heps the Crimson runners racked up a record 65 points, as many as the combined totals of the second and third place teams, Navy and Army. Outdoors it should be even less of a horse race, because Harvard is stronger on the cinders than it was on the boards.

In the exclusively outdoor events, the Crimson has the defending discus and intermediate hurdles champions. And the Harvard squad, boasting indoor sprint champion. Wayne Andersen, is certain to benefit from the extra dash event. Only in the javelin does the Crimson fail to pick up strength outdoors.

The most likely among Harvard's many likely winners tomorrow is Tony Lynch. Lynch has not been pressed in a 440-yard intermediate hurdles race since the Penn relays. His best time, 0:51.5, is more than a second faster than the league's next best clocking, by Navy's Courtland Gray.

Lynch beat Gray in the Heptagonal high hurdles indoors, but he's unlikely to repeat that upset win today. Gray has posted a 0:14.1 time and looks fast enough to edge Tony and Aggrey Awori for first place.

Andersen's sprint victory in the indoor Heps was the first step on his stairway to fame. A nobody in Ithaca, Wayne came on in the IC4A championships in New York the following week to take second place behind Fordham's invincible Sam Perry. Andersen hasn't slowed down since and he's not likely to tomorrow.

Wayne has to be favored in both the 100 and 220. Columbia's Pete Kristal took the crown last year, but that performance, a 0:22.4 clocking around a curve, seems to have been the one standout performance of Kristal's career.

Harvard's Sam Robinson and Mike Hauck, Navy's Skip Paskewich, and Brown's Mike Hendersen may keep Kristal out of the money this time.

Harvard's surest winner in the field events is John Bakkensen. Among Heptagonal discus throwers, Bakkensen is virtually in a class of his own. The main excitement in his event may be his attempt to break the tourney record, set in 1949, of 177 ft., 11 1/4 in. It's the oldest mark in the outdoor Heps book.

Pardee gets Nod

Chris Pardee on the strength of his narrow victory over Kim Hill in last week's Yale meet, is the favorite in the high jump. But this one could go either way: Hill topped Pardee for the indoor crown and just might do it again. Pardee may not have recovered fully from an ankle sprain that sidelined him early in the season.

The Crimson's next best bet at a first place would appear to lie with enigmatic Walter Hewlett in the two-mile. Last year Walt's family came all the way from California to watch him run dead last. This winter Walt avenged that horrendous showing with a game victory over Navy's Greg Williams, his chief opposition again tomorrow afternoon.

The 440 should be one of the day's best races. Army's Rance Farrell and Jim Jenkins, Navy's Jim Prout, and Sam Robinson have all posted times in the low 0:48's this spring. Farrell, because of his greater experience, rates a slight nod.

O'Keeffe Favored

Terry O'Keeffe of Princeton is the odds-on favorite in the 880, and the Crimson's John Ogden and Keith Chiappa will be battling Army's Steve Clement and Yale's Jon Lieff for second and third positions.

West Pointer Jim Warner, a flop in the mile indoors, is expected to avenge his loss at Ithaca to Eli Rick Wilmer. Harvard's Jim Smith scored a fine second place in the winter championships but will be hard pressed to repeat that performance tomorrow afternoon.

Navy's Mike Brown is a shoo-in in the pole vault. Army's Gerry Lawrence and Princeton's Mike Mitchell and John Morse should share the next three positions.

In the broad jump, none of the competitors has looked particularly impressive this spring. The edge would seem to belong to Pennsylvania's Ed Anderson with Yale's Walt Wright, Harvard's Awori, and Navy's Bill Bliss all getting a share of the points.

Anderson should have less trouble in the triple jump. Yale's Wright and Princeton's Mel Branch are almost a foot short of the Quaker star's 47-ft. efforts.

Gage May Win Two

Tom Gage of Cornell is also a potential double winner. He'll probably take the hammer and should dispose of Yale's Chuck Mercin in the shot. Art Croasdale should garner points in both events.

Navy would appear to have the class of the sprint relay squads, but if Crimson coach Bill McCurdy ever decides to combine his four fastest men in this one, he can probably walk away with first place. Harvard, Navy, Army, and Cornell will battle for the mile relay crown.