Thinclads Set for Skirmish With Army

Most of the track meets around here these days have had anti-climactic endings. Usually, the crowd has to wait until the last race--the mile relay--before finding a winner. But lately the Crimson has jumped the gun, wrapping up the meet somewhere between Mel Embree's third jump and Sam Butler's last hurdle race.

But tomorrow things could be different when the Crimson crosses paths with the Black Knights of the Hudson at West Point. Although Army Coach Carl Crowell admits that his team has been "hampered by weather and hasn't had any great performances," the Knights should present a bona fide challenge to the Crimson track men.

Admittedly the super-sleek '74 edition of the Crimson thinclads has to be given the edge against an Army team that dropped a 90-78 decision to Manhattan last week. But Army has its share of 9.7 dash men and a bumper crop of under 15 second hurdlers, who could each be good for 15 points.

The militiamen don't seem to be lacking anything in the distance events either. With a surplus of 4:08 milers including indoor speed merchants Norm Reinhart and Dan McCafferty, Army appears to be more than just a threat.

Of course a 48 quarterman is nothing to write Villanova's Jumbo Eliot about, but Army has put together a string of them, so observers expect the last race to be a tough one for even the lightening-quick Crimson mile-relay men.

All Run, No Field

But the Cadets have earned the same rap that often applies to the mediocre baseball player--"they are all run, no field." Unfortunately for the Army platoon, any team which expects to knock off the Crimson must have at least some semblance of a field contigent. "We don't have anything in the long jump and triple jump, and the high jump should be no problem for Harvard," a candid Crowell said.

The Army-Harvard match-ups, which have a rich heritage filled with last-minute victories, should this year be decided in the running events. Army is the one team that should be able to offset the Crimson's incredible field advantage, and in all likelihood a peak at the mile-relay tape should reveal tomorrow's winner.