Cadet Track Team Could Shatter Crimson's Heptagonal Supremacy

Little things--like injuries, fifth places and a rule limiting team entries to 30 men--may decide the Heptagonal track championship at Yale Sunday.

Harvard has won the title two years in a row, but coach Bill McCurdy considers the Army team, which lost by one point to the Crimson is March's indoor meet, a slight favorite Navy, as well as Harvard, could challenge the Cadets.

Harvard's chances depend on the performance of three defending champions who have been hit with injuries. Hurdler Tony Lynch is in a class by himself in both the high and low hurdles--unless the muscle pull that has sidelined him since the Penn Relays gives him trouble. In an indecipherable sprint field, Wayne Anderson is a good bet to score if the muscle he pulled against Yale is well.

More worrisome is the continued illness of Walt Howlett, defender in the two-mile who has been bothered by a sore calf all year.

If any of these three can't run, the Crimson may well be unable to overcome Army's pre-eminence in the field events. Harvard will have to do it with depth and balance, for only Lynch--if he runs--and high jumper Chris Pardee look like solid bets for first place for the Crimson. And Pardee may have to work to turn back Army's Karl Kremser, who has cleared 6-9.

Pardee in Broad Jump

Pardee will also enter the broad jump, in which Navy's Tom Palkie is a favorite, and the triple jump, in which Princeton's Mel Branch holds a slight edge. Both fields are remarkably even. No one has reached 24 feet in the broad jump or 47 feet in the triple jump.

Harvard's other field points might some from Ron Wilson in the hammer and discus, Steve Schoonover and Dave Bell in the pole vault, and Walt Campbell in the javelin. But none of these four is likely to take a first place.

Harvard's main strength lies on the track Anderson and Ram Robinson with Brown's Win Anakawa and two Navy runners are the class of the sprint field. Jeff Huvelle is among a pack of quarter-milers who have turned in times in the vicinity of 48.5, and Dave McKeivey might also get a place in the 440. An enigma in the shorter races in Cornell's Bill Bruckel, who could win any two of the three, and might even try to triple.

Trey Burns and Bob Stempson are evenly matched in the 880 with Army's Greg Camp and Jon Nolan, and Princeton's erratic Terry O'Keeffe Jim Warner squares off against Jim Warner and Bob MacDonald of Army and Greg Williams and Buzz Lawlor of Navy in the distances Hewlett will be a top contender in the two mile if be is ready.

But if the breaks go evenly, this meet will eventually be decided on fourth and fifth place points whether Harvard's Frank Haggerty and Andy Cahners can score behind Lynch in the hurdles, or Dick Howe and Dave Allen in the distances for instance.

And a crucial factor might be a rule restricting Heps teams to 30 men. All three contending coaches will have to decide which men to leave behind, and some unusual lineups may turn up in the relays-the last two events and possibly the decisive ones.