Cadets Run Right by Women, 76-29

The day didn't start well for the Harvard women's track team. Jacqueline Boudreau's third place finish in the high jump provided the Crimson's single point through the first three field events.

Army already had 26 points.

By the time it was over, the harriers had dropped their first meet of the season Saturday at the Gordon Track by 47 points, 29-76, against a team Harvard Coach Frank Haggerty deemed one of the strongest his troops will lace this winter. "Army was a tough team to open against," said Haggerty, who added that the Cadets hurt Harvard with their excellent sprinters.

Army placed first in both the 55-meter dash and hurdle, not to mention their 200, 400, and 800-meter victories.

"I hope the [Harvard] team doesn't get down on itself," Haggerty said, explaining that the team should only get better with practice and experience.

Saturday's results speak for themselves. Harvard won two events--Captain Grace deFries' victory in the 1500-meter and Kate Wiley's win in the 3000-meter--while Army had eleven victories, including all three field events (long jump, high jump, and shot put) and the 880-meter, one and two-mile relays.

As the running events began, one of the meet's three highlights stirred excitement and hope in the Harvard crowd. Harvard's Kathleen Good and Grace deFries took immediate command of the 1500-meter, leaving the rest of the field behind.

Good set the pace with determined strides while deFries followed smoothly. DeFries finished first in 4:35.19 after a swift, last dash that left Good in second place, just 1.05 behind.

"I felt good about being competitive all the way," deFries said, explaining she thought both Good and she had run smartly by sustaining good speed together.

The next event to set off cheers and a standing ovation from the Harvard crowds came in the 3000-meter, after Army had swept all the shorter distances. Harvard's Kate Wiley tired her opponents with 15 speedy laps, finishing in 9:48.

Underlining Haggerty's belief that "we have very strong distance runners," Army Simon and Miriam Keltz finished second and third behind Wiley, in 9:52.0 and 9:57.6, respectively.

If there was any solace in the race for Harvard, it came when the Crimson's one-mile relay squad set a new school record with 3:58.99.

But even with that. Army still edged out Harvard by 1.26 in the mile. Harvard's Alice Ncuhauser ran dead even with her opponent on the opening leg. But whereas teammate Maryann Harring could not quite run by her opponent on the second leg, Sigrid Gabler breezed past Army on the third, leaving Captain Kathryn Busby the new record, but the Army team proved too lightfooted finishing in 3:57.73.