Penn Upsets Cross Country Team

"They went really quickly to the cowpath, but then they started dropping like flies," explained Penn's Elliot Rodgers after his team overwhelmed Harvard's cross country team. 20-41, Saturday in New York's Van Cortland Park.

The loss broke Harvard's streak of 34 consecutive dual meet wins. And it was the first time Penn had ever beaten Harvard.

The cowpath is about the one-mile point on the five-mile course, and three eager Crimson runners led a dogged group of Penn runners to the cowpath with a blistering pace. But only Tom Spengler. Harvard's captain, and the eventual winner, was able to maintain position Penn quickly moved into the second through sixth spots.

Mike Koerner, one of the top hopes for the favored Crimson, was bothered by a recurring foot injury and fell back after the first mile before finally dropping out. Teammate Bob Seals, who was first at the mile, was passed by a flock of Quakers in the first set of hills. He never recovered.

When the runners emerged from the woods at about the two-mile point, the race appeared to be over. Spengler was moving beautifully with an 80-yard lead, but fo? Penn men were running second. Harvard's other runners, including the promising sophomores, were hopelessly strung out behind the leaders.

"No one knew what to do in the middle of the race," said Mark Connolly, who, like most of Harvard's sophomores, is used to running in a tightly-bunched group of teammates.

Coach Bill McCurdy explained afterwards that inexperience was probably a major factor in his sophomores' demise. They are still trying to adapt to the five-mile distance, and the combination of the demanding Van Cortlandt Park course and Penn made Saturday a tough day.

Things got increasingly worse for the Crimson, and after Spengler coasted home in 25:45, six Quakers finished before Seals became the second Harvard man across the line. The first four Penn harriers- Julio Piazza. Bob Childs, Karl Thornton, and Rodgers- joined hands to tie for second in 26:20.

There had been almost no pressure on them. As they climbed Cemetery Hill, the four-mile point, they were talking amongst themselves. And they dispensed with the traditional strong kick at the finish.

Their fifth man, Frank O'Connor, finished ten seconds later and yelled, "We did it!" as he slapped both of Rodgers's hands.

Spengler, meanwhile, was beginning to experience the disappointment the rest of his team had had to live with throughout the race. He had not known who was behind him. With a mile-and-a-half to go, Spengler had turned around quickly and had mistaken the four Penn shirts for two Penn and two Harvard shirts.

As he crossed the finish line, he immediately turned around, squinted, and pointed to the approaching harriers. "Are those all Penn men?" he asked in disbelief.