Crimson Runners to Meet Columbia, Quakers Today

The varsity cross-country team goes through the annual formality of squashing Columbia and Penn in New York today.

Last year the Crimson beat each, 21-40, in dual meet scores, with Penn edging the Lions for second place in the triangular totals. Today's results should read about the same.

Penn has Radclyffe Thompson, Ed Pokornoy, and some sophomores who pushed Jim Baker in last year's freshman meet. The combination should be enough to insure the Quakers second place.

Columbia has next to nothing. Bennett Flax, who finished third behind Walt Hewlett and Dave Allen last year, and Rob Conway, who took sixth place for the Lions, will save the New Yorkers from total humiliation.

That's about all there is to say about Columbia and Penn, so let's talk some about Harvard.

Jim Baker, who surprised some of the fans by leading for three miles in the Brown meet and finishing fourth just may take all the marbles in New York today.

The lanky sophomore shared laurels with Captain Dave Allen in practice this week. Even if Baker can't catch Allen, he may well finish ahead of Walt Hewlett, who has failed to improve since the season began.

Bob Stempson is the only ailing Harvard runner. He suffered a sore foot in practice and may not be in top shape for this afternoon's race.

Other standouts in this week's workouts have been senior Jon Chaffe and junior Jim Smith. The next encounter for the varsity runners will be Saturday at Ithaca in a morning preliminary to the football game against Cornell.