Thinclads End With a Bang, Drub Yale, 117-45

Exams? What exams?

It was nothing but blue skies for the thinclads Saturday as a cloudless afternoon and a 117 to 45 whomping of Yale at Soldiers Field dispelled the reading period blues--at least for a day.

The victory over the unspectacular Elis came as no surprise to the Crimson, as it rounded out the 1980 spring season with a 4-1 dual meet record and an inspired coup in the GBCs. "We went out in style," said a happy tri-captain Thad McNulty, who won two events before the day was through.

A list of Crimson victors in the meet reads something like a Homeric catalogue of the conquerors at Troy. The thinclads made a clean sweep in the field events, suffering a lone casualty in the high jump.

"I expected Yale to bring more athletes," sophomore Lanny Tron, winner of the shot put and the discus, said. The strong-armed Canadian notched a personal best of 49-ft., 1-in. in the shot.

The track events got off to a strong start as Harvard's quartet of Joe Salvo, marc Chapus, Bennett Midlo, and Peter Nsiah had little trouble dispatching Yale in the 400-meter relay. The trailing Elis were mericifully disqualified for an illegal handoff in the last leg.

Junior Chuck Johnson and freshman Peter Rittenburg, representing the healthy half of the Crimson's hurdlers, put in strong solo performances to grab firsts in the 110-meter high and 400-meter intermediate hurdles.

The victory was especially sweet for Rittenburg, who only began hurdling over spring break. "I've been improving by leaps and bounds," said the yardling, adding, "Yesterday it just all came together."

The versatile Rittenburg also took a second in the 400-meter run and a third in the high jump.

Harvard sprinters had a field day as well, with Chapus edging out Yale's Bob Cottrell in the 200 meters and a Crimson sweep of Nsiah, Salvo, and Phil Askenazy in the 100-meter dash.

Yale showed a spark of life in the longer distance events. Eli steeplechaser Mark Skehan braved the 80-degree heat and the water jumps to straggle in ahead of Harvard's Bruce Weber and Andy Regan, and his teammate Paul Erling put in a strong first-place performance in the endless 5000-meter run to win.

Yale's victories were short-lived, however; lack of depth kept the Bulldogs perpetually in the backfield.

The emotional climax of the day came in the 800-meter and 1500 meter events, as senior Thad McNulty closed out his college track career with two big wins. McNulty edged out Eli senior Marty Osborne--also running in his last undergraduate meet--by .5 seconds in the 800 and a wider margin in the 1500.

"He (Osborne) asked me before the race if I had entered the races just to spite him," McNulty said, adding, "I felt a bit guilty, but then I couldn't let him win."

As the jubilant tracksters left the stadium they put a successful season behind them, no little accomplishment considering the number of injuries this team has sustained throughout the year.

As for next year, a solid returning core, including a crop of freshmen. should insure another great team.