Crimson Ends Penn Dynasty

NEW YORK CITY--Dynasties are made to be shattered.

When the University of Pennsylvania cross country team arrived here at Van Cortland Park, they expected to win their 31st and 32nd consecutive meets.

They expected wrong.

In one of the most dramatic contests in an awfully long time, the Harvard cross country team defeated the University of Pennsylvania, 27-28. They did it on depth, and on the particularly dogged efforts of two players--Marsh Jones and Jim Hughes--in the last moments of the race.

Both teams shut out also-ran Columbia, 15-50.

As expected. Ric Rojas and captain John Quirk ran strong races. Rojas led most of the way, but in the last 100 yards, Penn star Bob Childs passed him up to finish first in 25:14.5. Rojas was clocked at 25:18.

The first real surprise came in the race for third place. In what he labeled as his best race since freshman year. Jones took third place over Quaker Frank O'Connor.

"At about the three and a half mile mark. O'Connor passed me," said Jones. "I turned to him and said, 'It's a nice day for a race.' He agreed."

Jones kept right behind O'Connor until the two reached Cemetery Hill at the four and a half mile mark. "I went charging up the hill, and by the time I reached the top, I was dead tired and 30 yards out in front." Jones reminisced. "All I had to do was finish the race, and not let O'Connor know how tired I was."

Jones finished in 25:33, O'Connor in 25:37.

Quirk finished fifth in 25:44, ahead of Penn freshman Dave McKee, who turned in a time of 25:50.

The next bit of drama involved two Penn men, and Harvard's Jimmy Hughes, one of the promising sophs.

Quaker Dennis Fikes, who had been running well all year despite a bad foot, was in seventh place. Behind him was senior Vince Waite, followed by Hughes.

"Marsh (Jones) got his man at the bottom of the hill. I got mine at the top." Hughes said last night. "I was running in the flat and could see everyone. I counted, and saw somebody had to move, so I moved.

"Fikes went by me, and then Waite. I hung on Waite's shoulders. He was starting to move, trying to catch up with Fikes. At the bottom of the hill. Jeff Brokaw and Pappy Hunt told me I was toughest on hills. I hung in there, and then lost Waite at the top of the hill."

When the dust cleared. Hughes was eighth at 26:10, only ten seconds behind Fikes. Harvard's Andy Campbell, who had been unobtrusive throughout the race, also passed Waite and finished only one second behind Hughes at 26:11. Waite was tenth at 26:17.

Had either Hughes or Campbell falled to pass Waite, the meet would have belonged to Penn.

In the Northeastern and Providence-UMass meets, Harvard had managed to put together a strong top four, but had had some trouble placing a fifth man. The key to yesterday's win was Harvard's ability to hold a top five together.

The downfall of the Penn cross country machine appeared inevitable--if not yesterday, then sometime soon. "We're thinner than we've ever been," said Jim Tuppeny earlier in the season. "We haven't been this week in four or five years. There are just too many question marks that have to come through."

Yesterday, Harvard's question marks came through.