Women Tracksters Edge BU In Greater Boston Showdown

Joan Beloit, a Boston University women's track coach, offered no excuses after Harvard edged-out her title-defending squad by 1 1/2 points at yesterday's Greater Boston Championships. "There are no ifs, ands or buts about it," she said unblinkingly. "Who we had ran well, but Harvard ran better."

For the undefeated Crimson squad it was their most satisfying and notable victory of the season, for despite a paucity of first places, the team managed to eke out enough outstanding finishes to silence the large and scholarship-laden BU squad and return the Greater Boston laurels to its original home.

Although Harvard's assistant head coach John Babington preferred not to single out any one performance in what he called "one of the best-balanced and thorough team efforts ever," several Crimson competitors stood out in the afternoon meet.

Senior Paula Newnham ran the most dramatic race of the afternoon in the grueling 3000 Meter event. Competing despite a case of the flu, the ascetic Britisher passed BU's Kathy Boyle in the middle of the fifteen-lap race, but started her final lap kick too early and then stopped in confusion with one lap to go.

As her teammates yelled that she was not yet finished, Newnham took off again in front of the approaching Boyle, then zipped--amazingly enough--to a new meet record of 9:45.2. After hitting the tape the spent harrier dropped to her knees and lay down on the track before her teammates and trainer Sue Harshbarger could pick her up and walk her down.

Less dramatic but just as noteworthy was sophomore Grace de Fries' effort in the 800 Meter Run. In what could be called a "textbook" race, de Fries jackrabbited to an early lead, was joined by freshman teammate Amy Simeon with one lap to go, and then shot out again to finish the clear winner with a new meet record of 2:15.4. Simeon finished third in 2:17.3.

"I was definitely scared about taking the lead because normally I let someone else do it," de Fries said after the race. "It felt pretty good for not working out that much lately, though."

Junior phenomenon Darlene Beckford was Harvard's only other individual winner, performing her usual magic in winning the 1500 in a meet record of 4:29.5. Because she is simply so much better than her local competition. Beckford can afford to play around with her strategy; yesterday Beckford ran a fast first half in anticipation of next weekend's exclusive Milrose Invitational Meet in New York, where she will have to run a quick first 400.

Demonstrating Harvard's depth in the distance events were senior co-captain Mary Herlihy and freshman Mary-Jeanne Barrett who finished second and third behind Beckford with times of 4:35.8 and 4:38.8.

Junior Karen Gray gave one of her best efforts of the season with an overall second place in the Pentathalon. Gray won the shot-put and long jump, took second in the hurdles and high jump, and third in the 880 to finish with 3024 points--her personal best by over 200 points--but not enough to best BC's Sue Goode who won with 3049 points.

Freshman Kathy Goode made her first appearance of the season with finasse; just recovered from a stress fracture, Goode ran a solid 5000 to take second place with 17:51.2 behind BU's tiny Alyssa Terry. Grabbing third and fourth in the same contest for Harvard were junior Wiley McCarthy (17:53.4) and freshman Miriam Keltz (18:01.1).

Harvard's traditional sweep in the shot put was interrupted by Northeastern's Sandy Burke, who took a surprisingly easy first place with a winning hurt of 15.84 meters. Harvard's senior co-captain Kim Johnson took second with a 13.10, and freshman Marie Acacia was third with a 12.83 throw.

Although Harvard's Mile Relay of Beckford, Sigrid Gabler, Jenny Stricker and de Fries finished second to the Terriers, their time of 3:59.9 was a new school record by several seconds--an excellent average of just under one minute for each runner. In the Two Mile Relay, Harvard's potent combination of Simon, Lacy Ashley, Barrett and Herlihy ran uncontested to take first with a time of 9:24.4.