Harriers Race to First Hep Win in 11 Years

NEW YORK, Nov. 10--Gritty junior Doug Hardin led the undefeated Harvard cross country team to its first Heptagonal Meet victory in 11 years here today. Hardin grabbed the lead from faltering Crimson captain Jim Baker a mile from the finish and then held off Yale's Frank Shorter in the stretch to take individual honors by 50 yards.

Following the slight junior to the finish for Harvard were Baker in eighth place, John Heyburn, 18th, Tim McLoone and Dick Howe, 21st and 22nd, Bob Stempson 27th and Frank Sulloway 42nd. In the final tabulation. Coach Bill McCurdy's all-winning squad had 70 points to Navy's 80 and Yale's 84.

Brown, Pennsylvania, Princeton, Army, Columbia, Dartmouth and Cornell trailed the three leaders.

The wiry Englishman Baker jumped to his usual early lead--covering the first mile in 4:30--and at the mile and one quarter mark he held a ten yard advantage over Columbia's Gary Rosenberg, Shorter, Princeton's Al Andreini and Hardin. A half mile later, Hardin had moved up to second, but McCurdy wasn't overly cheerful about the team's chances.

Racing anxiously from vantage point to vantage point all around the heavily-wooded Van Cortland Park course. Mccurdy tried to keep track of the top five men--the scorers--from Harvard and the two strongest challengers, Yale and Navy. At the point when Hardin began his move, both the Elis and the Midshipmen had three men ahead of Harvard's third man, the sophomore Heyburn.

Fortunately for Harvard neither Yale or Navy had the depth necessary to take the race. Right in back of Heyburn, although well back of the leaders were Harvard's Tim McLoone, "son of Joe," and Dick Howe. But Yale's and Navy's fourth and fifth men were nowhere to be seen.

At the four mile post. Hardin drew alongside of the tightening Baker and then as they disappeared into one of the course's innumerable secluded glens, pulled ahead. Coming off the last turn, Hardin had a substantial lead over Yale's Shorter and was pulling away.

The game Baker came down to the last 200 yards in sixth place, but his normal long stride had degenerated into a tired, painfully slow jog. First Navy's Jim Dare and then Columbia's Gary Rosenberg caught him in the drive for the wire.

For the next several seconds, McCurdy held his breath as Yale got three men in and Navy four before the big, improving Heyburn sprinted home. Then when Mcloone and Howe galloped in, the second Heps victory of the Coach's Harvard career was complete.

Hardin's time of 24:59:4 was his best ever on Van Cortland's five mile layout, but he thought he could have gone much faster. "I was holding back when I passed Jim (Baker)," the soft-spoken musician said afterwards as newsmen gathered 'round, "but it felt really good."

After the race, Coach McCurdy mused--for what must be the hundredth time season--about the resiliency of this Harvard team. Despite injury after injury--two of the superstars, sophomores Keith Colburn and Roy Shaw didn't run--they have bounced back time and again. "They have the capacity to recover from things going bad at every turn." McCurdy said. "How we could come down here even hoping to win is beyond me. But," he added, "the team expected to win."

The season's finale--the IC4A's--will be held over the same Van Cortland course a week from Monday.