Dartmouth Poses Tough Challenge For Crimson Cross Country Team

Last year Dartmouth's cross country team lost only one dual meet, so in the American tradition, this fall the team is talking about going undefeated.

There is some reason for optimism. For the first time since "Teen Angel" hit the charts in 1959, the Indians may be able to outrun their perennial stumbling block Harvard. It was the Crimson who contributed Dartmouth's one loss of 1969.

The Big Green will get its chance for revenge this afternoon when it runs against the Crimson at 3:30 p.m. at Franklin Park.

Dartmouth is vastly improved over the team that lost, 17-44, last year to Harvard. The main explanation for the improvement is the addition of sophomores Bob Varsha and Tom Shiland, who, along with junior Eric Porter, are the team's three top runners.

In addition, the Indians' conditioning is at a peak. During preseason training in the White Mountains, coach Ken Weinbel put his team through three workouts a day. And when the group returned to Hanover, it had to go through double workouts.

The best basis for comparison of the two teams are the results of the Brown meet each team ran. When the Crimson took the top eight places against the Bruins, Tom Spengler won, while Bob Seals, George Barker, and John Quirk took the next three spots. Dartmouth had similar success against Brown, and its top four men finished in times almost identical to those turned in by Seals, Barker, and Quirk.

These performances indicate that today's race will once again be won by whichever squad has better depth. The Indians' Steve Shirley is the fourth man, and he should be somewhere near the front. But their fifth man, captain Parke Rublee, tends to finish far behind Shirey. This gap may be where Harvard scores heavily.

The Crimson, however, may be troubled by injuries. Spengler appears to have recovered from a minor knee flare-up, but Barker was troubled Wednesday by cramps, and Jeff Brokaw has had leg problems since falling in a camouflaged hole during a workout in the woods Monday. Coach Bill McCurdy, who is still without Mike Koerner (injured foot), gave his weekly pessimistic report on the team's health yesterday afternoon.

One bright spot for Harvard is sophomore Mark Connolly, who finished second Tuesday against Providence. Another strong performance by him could make a big difference this afternoon.