A Goal Worth Waiting For

The member schools ought to look primarily with in the group for standards of competitive excellence and for most sports, ought to results success or failure in competition with each other.

Principle 8, the Ivy League Athletic Guidelines

No one can accuse Harvard track coach Frank Haggerty of not following the rules. From the very outset of the indoor track season Haggerty has been grooming his charges for the Heptagonals, the only meet where the Ivy schools, Army and Navy all compete against one another.

And, thanks to his careful planning and conditioning, the Harvard track squad can call its season a complete success--this past weekend the Crimson thinclads left Coxe Cage in New Haven as the Heptagonal Champions for the first time in 12 years.

"From the beginning of the season. I knew if we were healthy we could win." Haggerty explained. However, when talking about Harvard track, that is an awfully big it. "Although last year's squad, it finished fifth, almost 40 points behind Princeton because of injuries to key members and a let of bad luck.

This year, Haggerty made sure not to push his runners too hard early in the season, a tactic which may have cost the squad in its dual meets against Army and Northeastern.

"I had to stay patient," Haggerty said. "It was tough knowing that if we doubled people up we might have done better, but it was important to make sure no one was injured."

Credit to his approach is the fact that only two of the thinclads were hurting last weekend Jumpers Jimmy Johnson and Mark Henry each had slight hamstring pulls, but both were able compete.

More important than the physical state of the team was the mental preparation. The Crimson suffered a number of very questionable disqualifications on both Saturday and Sunday, but rather than letting the setbacks discourage them, the runners became even more determined.

Almost every team member ran more than one event. Adam Dixon, who was disqualified in the 3000 on a very dubious pushing call, came back on Sunday to win the 1500 and set a new Coxe cage record. He also ran in both the two mile relay and the distance medley relay.

Sophomore Cliff Sheehan also ran in four events, including the 3000, placing fifth despite running in the unseeded heat. And the list of gutsy efforts goes on and on Junior Brad Bunney took third in the hall-mile and ran in two relays as well.

Co-captain Gus Udo racked up a fifth of the squad's points by himself winning the triple jump and placing second in the long jump. But as Udo himself said. "What was most out standing about our performance is that everyone played an important part."

The Crimson nabbed only four first places. But the team racked up enough points in second through fifth place finishes, with almost every team member placing in art event.

Besides the glory that comes with the title, the victory was even sweeter because it came against Princeton, last year's champs. The Tigers did lose gracefully, forgetting to bring the Heptagonal trophy, which rotates from winner to winner to the meet.

The Tigers may try to gain revenge in the spring at the outdoor Heps, but Haggerty is ready for them.

"I'm already thinking of the outdoor Heptagonal, Haggerty said. "I started thinking about it last nigh before I went to sleep."