Harvard Battles Army In Heps Clash Today

The Harvard track team will attempt to capture its second consecutive Heptagonal title as Army, Navy, and eight Ivy League teams meet in Barton Hall at Cornell today.

For the ninth straight year, Harvard and Army should battle it out for top honors. Army perhaps holds a slight edge in the field events, while Harvard is probably slightly stronger in the running events.

In addition to dealing with Army, the Crimson has a jinx to break. For the last three years, whoever won the Harvard-Army dual meet has lost the Heps. This year Harvard won the dual meet.

Tom Spengler, John Heyburn, and defending champion and meet favorite, Royce Shaw, constitute a strong Crimson representation in the mile run. The two-mile will pit Harvard's Dave Pottetti and Phil Downey, and Cornell's Phil Ritson and Jon Alexander, all capable of subnine minute performances.

Harvard's John Gillis and Tom Downer, along with Fred Schnude of Penn and Robert Forsythe of Army, are top contenders for first place in the 600-yard run. Pre-meet favorite, Keith Colburn, should win the 1000-yard run with the Army star. Bill Henry, finishing second.

Ed Diamond, Chris Alvord, and Howie Wilson are Crimson runners in the 60-yard dash, but first place will probably be decided among Yale's Donny Martin and Penn's Herman Stevenson. In the hurdles, the Crimson's Walter Johnson may place second behind Kwaku-Ohene Frempong of Yale.

Although Crimson runners may turn in record times, a Harvard win depends heavily on performances in the field events. Harvard weight men-Ed Nosal. John Driscoll. and Paul Masaraccio-should earn substantial points for their performances. For Harvard to win, it is almost essential that Army scores little if at all in the weights.

High jumper Jim Coleman could possibly place in the top three, and Skip Hare Bob Galliers, and Walter Johnson, the Crimson long jumpers, could all end up in the top five. The pole vault competition will certainly hurt Harvard, however. Harvard cannot be expected to place at all, and Army's Kevin James is defending champion.

The meet will probably be decided in the relays. Harvard is favored in the two-mile, Army in the one-mile. Clearly, there can be no meet favorite; Harvard and Army must be referred to as co-favorites. "We've figured out the meet from fifty different angles, and we can't come up with a spread of more than three or four points between us," field coach Ed Stowell said.