Harriers Seek Indoor Championship; Relay Team Hopes for World Record

Harvard's two-mile relay team will be shooting for a world record this weekend in the National Collegiate Indoor Track Championships.

Harvard's unit--composed of Jim Baker, Roy Shaw, Keith Colburn, and Dave McKelvey--has run this season's fastest 11-lap two-mile in the country and is seeded second in the event.

Eleven members of Harvard's team met the NCAA qualifying standards this year and will represent the Crimson in the annual prestigious event. The University of Michigan will host the meet.

Doug Hardin, in the two-mile, has the best chance of finishing near the top in an individual event. The twelve fastest two-milers in the country are entered in the race, but Hardin's 8:44.2 clocking--a Harvard record places him among the top six.

Shaw and Baker easily met the NCAA qualifying time of 4:10 in the mile, but neither runner will enter that race--the mile is scheduled shortly before the two-mile relay, and they cannot run in both.

In the field events, Harvard's qualifiers are Dick Benka in the shot put, Steve Schoonover in the pole vault and Charlie Ajootian and Ron Wilson in the 35-pound weight.

Benka and Schoonover both set University records in their events less than a week ago in the IC4A's, where Harvard placed second to Villanova. Benka won the shot put title with a 57' 7 1/4" throw. Schoonover vaulted 15'8" to place third.

Ajootian and Wilson took third and fourth in the IC4A weight throw. Both are throwing consistently around the 60' mark.

In the middle distance races, Captain Jeff Huvelle will run in the 600 and Trey Burns in the 1000.

The last time Harvard sent entrants to the Nationals was in 1962. Last year, Harvard, with the rest of the Ivies, was ruled ineligible for NCAA competition because it refused to abide by the Association's controversial 1.6 eligibility rule.

The rule was amended in January at the annual NCAA Convention, and with the Ivy League's agreement to abide by it the ban on Ivy athletes from NCAA championships was lifted.