Harriers Are Underdogs in Big Three Meet

The Harvard cross-country team has won the Big Three title for the last three years. Even so, when the harriers travel to New Haven today they will be cast in the unfamiliar role of underdogs against undefeated Princeton and once-beaten Yale.

"It's been so long since we haven't been the team to beat in this meet that I can't believe it," said Crimson coach Bill McCurdy yesterday. "And when we were last picked for third goes back to ancient history."

There's good reason for predicting Harvard will finish last in the final regular meet of the year. The harriers sport an unconvincing 3-4 record. No one except sophomores Doug Hardin and Tim McLoone has really lived up to pre-season expectations. And injuries to key men continue to hurt the squad.

Besides all this, there is the small problem of opposition. Princeton is good. The Tigers are a more mature, more solid team than the squad that Harvard whipped last year, 19-41, at Princeton. The Tigers have knocked off the usual Ivy crew, including Brown and Penn, which both beat the Crimson. Princeton has also dumped Fordham, and Fordham is the only team to down Yale.

The Orange-and-Blackmen are led by junior Alan Andreini, who will certainly give Hardin one of his toughest races of the year. Andreini has run a 25:59 at Van Cortlandt this year. Hardin's time was 25:53. Andreini, who won the mile in the Big Three track meet last season, whipped all the Harvard juniors two years ago when they were freshmen.

Speed Merchant

The only senior who will figure in the battle for first place is the Tigers' Ritchie Geisel-a speed merchant, who has run a 4:11 mile and 9:06 two-mile. Geisel has not performed too well this season in cross-country, but he's the kind who will scare you to death if he's close behind going for the finish.

Princeton also has a fine secondary with Tilden Reeder, Bill Pape, and Russ Todd leading the way.

Team comparisons by time aren't overly meaningful. But it is frightening to see that Princeton times against Penn and Columbia at Van Cortlandt are on the average 30 seconds faster than Harvard times on the same course.

Princeton will be the favorite, but only on the strength of its Fordham win. Yale is ranked a close second, even though Harvard clobbered them last year, 16-41.

The Elis were not supposed to be much of a cross-country threat this season, but they shocked everyone by dropping one of the pre-season favorites, Brown, 25-31, in their first meet. Except for the 27-29 cliffhanger loss to Fordham, it's been a perfect season.

Two sophomores, Steve Bittner and Frank Shorter, are the main reasons for Yale's success. Bittner is another speed-ster (4:12 mile) who will give you trouble in the home stretch if he can smell you.

Bittner just set the Eli record on the Yale course by edging out Shorter, who tied the old mark. That was the only time this season that Bittner beat Shorter-a strong runner who was Hardin's main target at the start of the season.

Yale has two more sophomores-Bob Yahon and Carl Pierce-who will give Princeton and Harvard a lot of trouble in the second line. And juniors Ben Henneke and captain Steve Boyer will be tough too.

Five-Way Affair

The battle for first place will be a five-way affair among Hardin of Harvard, Geisel and Andreini of Princeton, and Bittner and Shorter of Yale. Hardin must take either first or second for the Crimson to have a chance to win the meet. The undefeated sophomore will be facing his roughest competition of the year, but he has been pointing toward this one all season.

McLoone, senior Jim Smith, junior Bob Stempson, and captain Jim Baker (with an injured ankle) will be expected to carry the load for Harvard. They will have to place in the top fifteen for the Crimson to win. And, just as important, Dick Howe, Joe Ryan, and Frank Sullo-way will have to score displacement points for Harvard by breaking up the opposition's secondary from 15th to around 20th place.

The Yale course is short and fast, a disadvantage for Harvard runners accustomed to long and hilly Franklin Park. Another problem is that only Smith among the Crimson harriers has even seen the place.