Yardling Harriers Retire After Greater Boston Win

The freshman cross country team finished a nine and two season with a victory in the Greater Boston meet Tuesday. The squad was led by two individual standouts, followed by a closely packed group of five other runners.

The stars of the team were Roy Shaw and Keith Colburn, called by coach Bill McCurdy "as good as any Harvard freshmen have ever been." Shaw and Colburn have times near the fastest ever run by a Yardling in Van Cortland park.

Placing close behind these two were Captain Eric Roth, John Heyburn, Rick Hovey, and Dave Truesdell. McCurdy emphasized the importance of this group in breaking up the opposition all season, especially the key seventh and eighth place finishes of Roth and Truesdell in the team's Big Three victory over Princeton and Yale.

Gerald Brock, rounded out the top seven. Ray Healey, Dennis Aylward, and Marshall Wolff also provided depth for the successful season.

The year was highlighted by a surprising victory over Princeton in the Big Three meet. At the half-way mark Shaw and Colburn were out of the lead and tired, but pulled back for third and fourth place finishes, followed by Heyburn in fifth. McCurdy, already excited by the varsity's win, called the freshman effort "the best, most courageous team victory I have ever had."

The harriers had an easier time in the Greater Boston meet. Although an M.I.T. runner took first, the Crimson followed with five of the next six places for a total of 21 points.

McCurdy is looking forward to the regular freshman track season. Shaw has run a 4:12 mile, and Colburn recorded the fastest schoolboy time in the 600 last year, an impressive 1:13.

The top five are rated as good prospects for the varsity cross country team next year. Brock, who came on quickly after a training lapse, is expected to rate a shot at the varsity, too.

The two losses came early in the year, to Providence in the first meet, and to Penn two weeks later. The team developed well, and pulled off perfect or near perfect scores in three out of its last four meets.

Coach McCurdy closed the season with this heady prediction: "If these boys keep developing, next year we may have the greatest team in the East."