Spring Teams Save Year, Winning 4 Eastern Titles

Harvard's varsity athletic program always wins more games than it loses. Each winter, in his annual report, President Pusey acknowledges this achievement, extolling the "gay and serious" jocks for maintaining the best overall winning percentage among the Ivies since the League got started formally over a decade ago.

Rarely is one year different from another in this pattern of success. One team a season wins a championship, two or three others challenge for the top spot, and although unsuccessful, inflate the victory percentage in the process and the remaining one or two flounder miserably in the Ivy cellar, earning the undying emnity of the Department of Athletics statistician.

1967-68 followed this trend through the Fall and Winter campaigns. The cross country team went undefeated for the first time in a decade but the soccer team finished third in the League and the football team was fourth. As the weather got worse so did the record; Harvard won titles only in squash and suffered miserablely in basketball, wrestling, and fencing.

But the Spring was different. In a flurry of success which parallels UCLA's national domination last year, Harvard won four Eastern championships, lost a fifth in track by four points and enjoyed its best lacrosse season in several years.

There is of course, no logical reason for this abrupt turnabout. The winter facilities are inadequate, but most coaches agree that the quality of the auditorium does not transform the chump into a champion. All the spring teams got their share of breaks, but in most cases, they made their breaks.

Football

6-3 overall; 4-3 Ivy, fourth

The 1968 football team started the season with impressive trouncings of Lafayette and Boston University and then continued its winning ways in the League against Columbia and Cornell. As in so many years past, the reunion-day game with Dartmouth loomed as pivotal in the Ivy race.

Harvard fell behind 17-0 before rallying behind the running of Ray Hornblower and Vic Gatto to take a 21-20 lead with only a few minutes remaining. But Dartmouth pulled out the game and a lot of Harvard spirit on Pete Donovan's last-second field goal.

The next week Harvard rebounded to dump Penn, 45-7. It was the calm before the storm. In Soldiers Field Nov. 11, before 38,000 witnesses, Princeton murdered Captain Don Chiafaro's crew, 45-6. The Tigers' fullback Ellis Moore scored five touch-downs in his role as chief assassin. Brown fell, though not without a struggle, 21-6.

In the finale, against already-crowned League champion Yale, Harvard fought back from another 17-0 disadvantage, only to lose, 24-20, when All-East quarterback Brian Dowling hit Dan Marting--whose defender had slipped--in the clear. It was a bitter ioss for the Harvard team which had entered the game a three touchdown underdog.

Next year's team will be long on running backs and linebackers, but must prove itself at quarterback and in the line.

Cross Country

9-0. Heptagonal Champion

Sparked by Jim Baker, the Harvard cross country team raced to its first Heptagonal (the Ivies plus Army and Navy) crown in over a decade. No harrier squad had put together an undefeated dual meet season, a Big 3 victory and the Heps title in one campaign since the late 30's.

Baker raced undefeated through the dual meets and the Greater Bostons (where clutch performances by unheralded juniors Pete Dennehy and Frank Sulloway saved the day for an injury-depleted squad) and then junior Doug Hardin, the captain-elect for 1968, took over.

Hardin won the Big 3 meet and the Heps, but the margin of Harvard's victory was in its depth. Seniors Dick Howe and Bob Stempson, junior Tim McLoone and sophomores John Heyburn and Roy Shaw contributed points at crucial times throughout this season.

Next year's team, barring injuries, should be a strong contender for national honors.

Soccer

8-3-1; 4-2-1 Ivy, third

The soccer season was one of those which helps the percentage, but wounds the spirit. Without a superstar, Harvard relied on a balanced scoring attack and niggardly goaltending to stay in Ivy contention. In the first key game, against Pennsylvania, Nov. 4, third-string goalie Jay Breese (both John Axten and Dick Locksley were hurt) played a solid game, but the Crimson attack was impotent and the Quakers won 3-0.

Harvard got more scoring punch from Lutz Hoeppner and Scott Robertson the next Saturday against Princeton to win, 4-2, setting the stage for a showdown with defending champion Brown.

Unfortunately, after Harvard took a two-goal lead in the first period on goals by Hoeppner and Gary Montero, the Bruins tallied three times before the half and hung on for a 3-2 victory.

Inside Jaime Vargas received All-Ivy honors. Harvard got strong defensive performances all year from fullback Dave Wright and halfback Richie Hardy and great ball control from Ahmed Yehia.

Basketball

7-14; 4-10 Ivy, sixth

Harvard's best basketball came after Floyd Wilson's reassignment was announced. In the next-to-last game of the season against Yale, Bobby Johnson, Eric Gustavson, Jeff Grate and Chris Gallagher combined for an upset 98-89 victory. The next Tuesday night the Crimson staged another upset, this one over Dartmouth. Bob Kannuth was named most valuable player and elected captain for the upcoming renaissance year.

Hockey

15-9; 10-2 Ivy second

Cornell is still in the Ivy League, so no matter how well Harvard plays, there doesn't seem to be much chance for a League title. Sophomores Jack Turco, Chris Gurry and Terry Flaman, juniors Bill Dierks (goalie) and captain-elect Bobby Bauer and seniors Bob Carr and Jack Garrity had a hand in what would have been a perfect season if not for the Big Red. Harvard lost to B.U. in the first round of the ECAC playoff.

Wrestling

2-8; 1-5 Ivy

It was a disappointing year for the grapplers. There were injuries to a number of starters, but a couple of freshmen are expected to propel the team back into Ivy contention next year.

Fencing

7-8; 0-5 Ivy

As in wrestling, the major news is the future. Harvard has two good freshman swordsmen and it is possible that the team could compete for national titles next Winter.

Swimming

6-4

It was a year like most of the past several years for Bill Brooks's swimmers. Even with All-East 3-meter diving champ Billy Murphy (who was injured in the Yale meet) the team couldn't stay with Yale, Dartmouth or Army. But led by Pete Adams and Bill Shrout, the Crimson came within a relay of upsetting a strong, deep Princeton team..Again, there are several good freshmen coming up to the varsity in 1960.

Squash

12-0

The Harvard squash team won all the honors at the National Intercollegiate Championships in 1968. Anil Nayar beat teammate Larry Terrell in the finals and Captain Rick Sterne beat Jose Gonzalez in the consolation finals. Coach Jack Barnaby is losing several seniors and Princeton, which is recruiting heavily, may be the team of the future. Next year will be a challenge.

Lacrosse

9-5; 3-3 Ivy, fourth

Sophomore John Ince won the Ivy League scoring title and joined Mike Ananis on the All-League team but Harvard couldn't do any better than a fourth-place tie with Brown. The Crimson lacked staying power for the most part--depth, especially at midfield, was a problem. Marty Cain, Captain Tom Nicosia and Jim Kilkowski were superb as front-line strength, but whenever they rested, Harvard had trouble. Best game of the year was a come from behind 10-9 upset of Princeton. The season was the best since 1964.

Baseball

16-7

After some administrative wrangling, Harvard's Eastern League baseball team got permission to play in the NCAA District I playoffs at the University of Connecticut. Harvard's success has rested heavily on Ray Peter's strong right arm. The 6-5 junior was 7-1 in the Eastern League, but he got hitting support from League batting champ Dick Manchester, shortstop Jeff Grate and centerfielder Carter Lord. This was Coach Norm Shepard's last year at the helm after a 14-year career; his record: 198 wins, 99 losses.

Golf

The baseball title was believable as was, in retrospect, the tennis crown, but absolutely no one could picture the golf team as the best in the East. But on a rainy day in Princeton, N.J., paced by sophomore Yank Heisler, the golfers surprised the experts, not to mention Penn State and Princeton. Captain Bo Keefe and Bruce Lo-Pucki split the year at number one and Joe Tibbits (who lost a playoff for the Greater Boston individual title to Keefe), Jack Purdy, Tom Wynne and Paul Oldfield filled out the lineup. The golfers will compete in the NCAA's next week.

Track

Indoor 6-0; outdoor 4-1

The Cadets from Army spoiled a great season for both the Winter and Spring track teams. Indoors, after dropping an early season dual meet to Harvard, the West Pointers rallied for a 62-54 Heptagonal victory. Outdoors, the cadets combined with Yale to block Harvard's Heps ambitions--Yale winning by a point, Army second and Harvard third by four points.

Shot Put Record

There were some brilliant individual performances throughout the season. Captain-elect Dick Benka set a shot put record of 58' 11 1/2"; captain Jeff Huvelle broke a 50-year-old record in the 440-yard dash; Steve Schoonover became the first Ivy League polevaulter to go 16 feet; Roy Shaw and Jim Baker made several valiant but futile runs at the four minute mile; Frank Haggerty established himself as one of the nation's best hurdlers before a freak accident cut short his senior season. More than anything else Harvard lacked experience, but there may be help from the freshmen and there is a transfer student from Northeastern who is expected to provide some 9.7 speed.

Crew

Heavies; 3-0; Lights: 4-0

There were no surprises in collegiate crew this Spring. Harvard won everything in sight in both lightweight and heavyweight competition. The heavies are expected to be the favorite in this summer's Olympic trials. The lights will spend July in Europe at Henley and assorted other international regattas.

Tennis

10-4

It was quite a year for Jack Barnaby. The veteran coach won the squash national championship and then his tennis team shocked most observers by tying Pennsylvania for the Eastern League title. The crucial match was with the Quakers and Harvard won 5-4 (see Kent Parrot below). Barnaby got an undefeated season from junior Terry Oxford at number five singles, consistent singles and doubles play from John Levin at number one and Rocky Jarvis at two and valuable points from the Jose Gonzalez-Parrot and Larry Terrell-Rick Sterne doubles teams.JOHN LEVIN