Track Team Places Tenth In Nationals

Harvard's cross country team concluded its season with a tenth-place finish in yesterday's NCAA meet held in New York.

The Crimson harriers thus completed the most impressive record in Harvard cross country history and swept undefeated through ten dual meets, capturing the Greater Boston, Big Three, and Heptagonal crowns, and establishing themselves among the best teams in the country.

Sophomore Dave Pottetti led the Harvard effort yesterday, as he surged to the front of the large field early and held his position over the six-mile Van Cortlandt Park course to cop 23rd place. Pottetti thus became the second runner in Harvard history to gain All-American recognition, awarded to the top 25 finishers in the National Collegiate meet.

Pottetti was the only Crimson runner who managed to escape the crush of the crowded field. Keith Colburn finished 69th after running an uneven race. He fell back and then spurted forward severaltimes. The course, a mile longer than the usual intercollegiate distance, probably hindered the speedy Colburn as much as it did anyone.

Sophomore Tom Spengler ran a steady race to place 80th. Spengler, beginning too slowly and never regaining good position, may have misjudged his paceslightly.

'Solid Race'

Head Coach Bill McCurdy credited John Heyburn with running "a good, solid race," and expressed regret that he had not given the powerful junior a chance to perform in the Heptagonal or IC4A meets. Heyburn, the eighth man on a team limited to seven entries, got the nod yesterday when captain Doug Hardin and Royce Shaw were sidelined by injuries. He responded by finishing fourth man for Harvard, his highest of the season, and 128th overall.

Senior Tim McLoone closed out the Crimson scoring in 135th place. McLoone also had difficulty escaping from the crowd and picked up considerable ground with a strong finishing kick. Jon Enscoe and Erik Roth were the other Harvard starters, gaining valuable large meet experience which will be helpful next year.

Close to Eighth

Harvard's unofficial point total of 435 was only three too many for eighth place. Cal Poly and Miami (Ohio) checked in with 433 and 434 for eight and ninth places respectively.

Villanova took top team honors for the third year in a row with a score of 142. They outdistanced nearest contenders Stanford, USC, Colorado, and Minnesota. Mike Ryan of Air Force Academy captured individual laurels and was trailed by Georgetown's Steve Stageberg and Art Dulong of Holy Cross.

Coach McCurdy had only praise for his Crimson harriers. "Everyone said last year's team was the best Harvard ever had," McCurdy said, "but this year's team performed at an even higher level. They aimed for the top from the very beginning and managed to absorb injuries and unpredictable problems without too much trouble." With six of yesterday's seven starters (and Shaw) returning next year, McCurdy has cause for continued optimism.