Shooting For Bigger Games

How convenient that the most successful year in Harvard sports history should fall just one year before the Olympics.

With their reputations bolstered by their teams triumphs in 1982-83, at least half a dozen Crimson athletes are serious contenders for trips to Los Angeles or Yugoslavia in 1984, as the rosters for national squads start to form.

Certainly, the two best known Olympic hopefuls are hockey stars Mark Fusco '83 and brother Scott '85 who were picked by Coach Lou Vairo in lane for the preliminary team Mark, last year's Hobey Baker Award winner as college hockey's top player, is a shoo in to make the final roster of 20 players. Scott will learn on September 15 whether he'll help defend the nation's Olympic title or return to Cambridge for his junior year.

As of September 9, the siblings had two points each, including a game-winning goal for Scott, in seven games the squad had played against Russian and Finnish teams. Whether as teammates or opponents, the Fuscos will return to Bright Hockey Center on November 15 when the Olympic team plays Harvard.

The rest of Harvard's Olympic prospects have their sights set on the summer games. Several Crimson thinclads are possible competitors in the most prominent sport of the Olympics- track and field.

Junior Jenny Stricker's second-place finish in the National Sports Festival 3000 meters in June made her a top prospect for that event next summer. The competition is easier for her Canadian roommate, Kate Wiley, although her best distances, 5000 and 10,000 meters, have not yet been included as Olympic events for women. Several female runners are challenging the Olympic or ganizers on that issue in court, but Wiley may eventually make the Canadian squad as a marathoner.

Two other Canadians have outside shots junior Steve Ezeji-Okoye in the 400 meter intermediate hurdles and sophomore Rudy Buntic as a pole vaulter. Adam Dixon '83, who ran his first sub four-minute mile during the summer, and Darlene Beckford '83.4, both have chances at 1500 meters.

Three other sports hold promise for Crimson stars. Heavyweight wrestler Jim Phills '83 is a strong contender for the Canadian squad, though he has yet to establish a ranking for himself up north, having wrestled only in the United States in the last four years. Andy MeNerny '83 is considering taking a run at the U. S. team.

Perhaps the best diver ever to drop into a Crimson pool, junior Dan Watson made himself conspicuous in international competition this summer. He finished fourth in the Swedish Cup, a major tournament In the U. S. nationals, he took third in his best event, the three-meter springboard, and fifth in the 10-meter platform. A big problem for Watson is the reduction from three to two of the number of divers countries can send in each event a move forced by smaller countries tired of seeing sweeps by the U.S. and other dominant teams. Another problem is Greg Louganis, the world's premier diver, who will surely grab an Olympic berth in any event lie enters.

In crew, the days are long gone when a single school's best eight would represent the United States in the Olympics. Harvard was often that school Now the American team is an all-star squad, the best Crimson hopeful may be senior Andy Sudduth. It Harry Parker gets a bid to act as a head or assistant coach for the Games--certainly no new experience for him--he'll find out this month.