Penn, Navy Crews Race Varsity for Adams Cup

Somewhere in the hereafter a little man with a stack of statistics figures the odds on the number of consecutive races which one crew can win. Since 1952 this little man has willed Navy's oarsmen a string of 31 consecutive victories over the best crews in the Eastern United States.

At the same time, somewhere along the Charles River, a little man with a battered fedora has been figuring the chances of his eight varsity oarsmen defying the hereafter and breaking Navy's undefeated streak. Nearly every afternoon since 1952, when he became varsity coach, Harvey Love has planned to beat Navy. For three straight years these plans have been frustrated.

Tomorrow afternoon at 6 p.m. he has another chance. Navy, having held off the challenge for Cornell, reputed the East's most menacing crew, races against Love's oarsmen and Penn in the 18th renewal of the Adams Cup. The battle will cover the mile and three-quarter course from the Longfellow bridge to the M.I.T. boathouse.

Should the Crimson win--a result which rests with the hereafter--the varsity crew will have more than compensated for its six-foot defeat in 1953 and its frustrating loss in 1954.

Same Eight together

In preparation, Love has kept the same eight oarsmen which lost by a deck length to the mid-western brawn of Wisconsin last week. He's satisfied that the past week's intensive workouts have put the eight in the best trim possible. What are its chances of winning? Love is deceptively non-committal. "It'll be a tough race from the word go," he ventures. By this he implies it will be both a tough race for Navy to win and even tougher one for the varsity to lose.

So far this year Navy has defeated Cornell, Princeton, and Syracuse. Pennsylvania, also undefeated, has finished ahead of Princeton, Columbia, and Yale. Love's only significant change in the shell this week has been the switch of coxswains. He moved sophomore Bob McLaughlin into the varsity in place of Ted Crowther.

Perhaps the most confident heavy crew of the afternoon will be Bill Leavitt's un defeated freshman eight. This week in time train this crew defeated the varsity by nearly half a length and the jv's by by more that two lengths. So far this season the Yardlings have not given Joan than a length to any comparable crew during its two races. Leavitt will row the same boat which has defeated M.I.T., Syracuse, Princeton, and B.U. Race time in 5.30 p.m.

Carlo Zezza remains as stroke of the junior varsity eight which meets Penn and navy tomorrow at 5 p.m. Except for the change of coxswains, the crew is the same one which lost by over two lengths last Saturday to Princeton.

The Crimson boatings are:

Varsity heavies: Nick Platt, stroke Mike Metealf, seven; Ted McCagg, six; Captain Dick Darrell, five; Carter Harrison, four; Stafford Morss, three; Randy Harrison, two; Sam Wolcott, bow; Bob McLaughlin, coxswain.

Junior Varsity heavies: Carlo Zezza, stroke; Jack Lapsley, seven; Larry Huntington, six; John Farlow, five; Peter Hobbs, four; Art Hodges, three; Fritz Schwarz, two; Steve Hopkins, bow; Ted Crowther, coxswain.

Freshman heavies: Captain Honry Jordan, stroke; Stewart Hussey, seven; Geoffrey Locke, sex; Howard Dickinson, five; Charles Atkinson, four; John Eager, three; John Ellefson, two; Nick Tilney, bow; Reed Bement, coxswain