Women Tracksters Triumph While Men Fall at Dartmouth

Miserable weather couldn't stop the Harvard women's track team from trouncing Brown and Dartmouth at Hanover Saturday, but injuries prevented a similar finish by the men in their tri-meet against the same opponents.

Without even entering the final relay race, the women totalled 83 points against Brown's 52 and Dartmouth's 24. The men had 62 points to Dartmouth's 90 and Brown's 43.

Plain and simple, the women's team (3-0) looks strong this year. Saturday Harvard won 10 of 15 events.

"People are giving key performances where they are needed," said Co-Captain Grace deFries, who won both the 1500 (4:34.51), and 800 (2:12.7) events.

The men (1-2) have been less fortunate, with injuries having taken their toll on the team, primarily in the hurdling department. Co-Captain Kimbro Stephens and junior Steven Eaeji-Okoye, two of the best intermediate hurdlers in the league, both sat out on Saturday.

In addition, one of the team's top members, junior Cliff Sheehan, is taking a semester off to train for a shot at the Olympics. In total, five or six of the team's top athletes didn't compete on Saturday, Stephens said. "It's just a matter of putting us out there at the same time," he added.

The Crimson controlled the field events, taking firsts in the triple jump, the high jump, the pole vault and the javelin.

Stephens said Harvard is focusing on the year-ending Heptagonal meet, which involves all the Ivies along with Army and Navy. Because of this. Haggerty is not willing to take risks by bringing people back too early, a safe but costly strategy in the short run.

Team members understand this strategy, said Stephens, and "are not down because they understand why we were losing."

Team outlook for the Heps is optimistic. "We're losing so many people but we still have talent, and I look for a solid performance," said Haggerty.

Stay Healthy

The women's team also looks forward to the Heps. "If we can all stay healthy--and that's a large if--I think we'll all do well," said Co-Captain Kathy Busby, who had sufficiently recovered from a back injury to win the 200 Saturday.

Army will be the team to beat, added deFries. "They're an incredibly strong team and seem almost unbeatable without injuries."

THE NOTEBOOK: Both teams face Yale Saturday. The men have beaten the Elis in their last 18 meets. The women face a tough meet because of Yale's strong freshman class. During the indoor season, the women edged Yale by just three points.