Harvard Track Squad Battles With Unbeaten Huskies Tonight

Northeastern's track team has been dying for years to get its hands on Harvard. And the time has finally come -- today.

The Huskies have a winning streak of 30 dual meets. They have depth and power. They are the only squad in the Boston area that has a chance to beat the Crimson.

Harvard has never met Northeastern in a dual contest. The Crimson beats the Huskies every year in the Greater Boston Collegiate Meet. But that's different. In the GBC's, with so many squads entered, only the best men on each team count. Here nearly everyone counts.

And Northeastern is ready. Most of its men live in the Boston area, and they have been practicing all vacation. Many Harvard trackmen spent a workout-less Christmas holiday snowed in up in Wau-watosa, Wisc.

Very, Very Close

The Huskies have everything to gain and not much to lose.

In nearly all the events this evening things will be very, very close. Northeastern's Andy Kenney should run away with the shot put and Harvard's Steve Schoonover will have no competition at all in the pole vault. But otherwise, everything is tight.

The Huskies have two 22 ft-plus broad jumpers, who will give rejuvenated Mark Johnson (who just broke 22 last week) a real battle.

Harvard's weakest spot all year, since Tony Lynch has yone, is the hurdles. Terry Golden won last week in an unimpressive time of 5.5 and he could be in for some big trouble today.

Northeastern has a fine cross-country team. It walloped the Crimson in a dual meet this fall. The Huskies' leading distance man from that squad--sophomore Bob Bruen--will give Jim Baker quite a tussle. But Bruen, according to rumor, may not run. If not, things will be a lot easier for Baker and for Doug Hardin in the two-mile.

Husky captain Tom Hall will battle record-breaker Dave McKelvey in the 600. Jeff Huvelle, whose leg still bothers him a little, will stay out of the race for the fourth straight meet.

If the meet is tight at relay time, Harvard could have some problems. Northeastern can put up 7:40 two-mile and 3:20 mile relay teams. And without Huvelle the Crimson will be an underdog.

K of C Meet

On Saturday, the Crimson will go into the Big Time at the Boston Garden in the Knights of Columbus meet. Villanova, Georgetown, Fordham, and all the rest will be there. And Harvard will enter a relay squad in the fast mile against the likes of Morgan State.

The K of C meet, which starts at 6:30 p.m., is strictly an individual affair. No team scores are kept. Crimson trackmen such as Schoonover and McKelvey (in the collegiate 500) stand a chance for high finishes.

Harvard will enter one of its finest two-mile relay teams ever, if Huvelle is ready. The junior gazelle will team up with classmates McKelvey, Baker, and undefeated Trey Burns.