Heavies Brush Aside MIT, Princeton

With a challenge from Kansas State's "Tuttle Creek Ten" out of the way at 800 meters when its six oar, Warren Rose, vaulted into the Charles, Harvard's varsity heavyweight crew swamped MIT and Princeton to grab its tenth straight Compton Cup and establish itself as the cautious favorite for Saturday's eastern showdown in the Adams Cup.

The Engineers, who finished two and a quarter lengths behind undefeated Harvard, took the runner-up position, 8.6 seconds in front of Princeton. The Crimson caught the surprisingly strong MIT eight at about the 500 meter mark and slowly powered its way to a 9.2 second final margin and a wind hindered 6:32.5 time for the 2000 meters.

Harry Parker's Crimson eight jumped to a slight lead at the start, but the Engineers pulled up on the settle as Princeton and the "Tuttle Creek Ten" faded. The Crimson, behind stroke Gene LaBarre, were understroking both MIT and the Tigers, 33 1/2 to 34 1/2, but Don Rose's Kansas State squad was staying close while swatting the water at a low but powerful 31.

The next 500 meters were, to say the least, unique as crew races go. As several hundred avid crew buffs lined the banks of the Charles at the finish line, one fan with the aid of binoculars broadcast this fateful portion of the row to the many interested, who at this point could not see the action.

"There goin' under the Mass Ave bridge now. Let's see--it's Harvard by a little over a length,--then it looks like MIT,--Princeton on the Boston side is third,--and Kansas State has uh--uh--yes they've stopped." The crowd stood hushed. He continued.

"They're now turning sideways--their heads are bowed despondently,--the three man is perfunctorily dipping his oar in the briny."

And then worst fears of the crowd were confirmed. "It looks like they're done for the day." Yes, the "Tuttle Creek Ten" save one, had journeyed 2000 miles to row half a race.

The eventual easy win for the Crimson installs Harvard's eight as one of the prime crews in the country this season. The varsity's 17.8 second victory span over Princeton compares favorably to Eastern Sprint defending champion Navy's eight-second win over the Tigers and Pennsylvania's two-second margin of victory gained earlier this season.

Navy and Penn are Harvard's opponents in next week's important Adams Cup race on Philadelphia's Schuylkill River. The importance of the race is highlighted when it is noted that in the last 11 years, the coveted Eastern Sprint Championship has been won by one of the three Adams Cup entrants.

The Crimson drove the final sprint out hard, and when the whole thing was over it was apparent that this season coach Parker has put together an extremely powerful but more importantly consistently fast varsity eight.

In the junior varisty race Saturday, Harvard demolished Princeton by 17.7 seconds and the hapless Engineers by 29.8 seconds or about seven and a half boat lengths.

The Yardling crew was possibly the most impressive shell afloat, as it smashed the Tigers and MIT by five and six lengths respectively. Coach Ted Washburn is bringing along an eight which is destined to bring Newell Boathouse its first Eastern Spring Freshman Championship since 1967.

The third varsity and second freshman boats completed the Crimson sweep by blowing their competition off the course.