Thinclads Travel to West Point Today, Haggerty Has 'High Hopes' for Season

Harvard track is not a stable thing.

Two years ago, both the Harvard men's and women's track squads were the cream of the Ivy League. The men won the Heptagonal Championship by eight points, while the women lost the title by a meager two points.

Last year, however, was a different story. Neither squad came close to capturing a league title--the men turned in a disappointing seventh-place finish at the Heps, and their female counterparts came in fourth.

This quick turnabout of fortunes can be traced in large part to injuries, leaves of absences and illnesses--a number of thinclads computed last season while suffering from a bronchial virus.

With most of last year's squads in fact a crop of promising freshmen and the return of Jenny Stricker, Mark Henry and Cliff Sheehan from time off, it looks like both teams could find their way back to the top of the league.

Frank Haggerty, the director of Harvard track, certainly feels, optimistic about the potential to be the best women's indoor team we've ever been," he says enthusiastically. "I have similar high hopes for the men. Last year's record and Heps finish were an unfortunate abberation."

His strategy to develop this potential, like that of the past two seasons, is to gear his team up slowly for the league championships in February Haggerty feels that by not pushing his runners too hard in the early part of the season he can help prevent the injuries and weariness that are often the inevitable results of a long and grueling season.

So this afternoon when the Crimson thinclads square off against Army at West Point, most of the distance corps will be sitting in the stands, getting some well-deserved rest after the cross country season. Instead of looking to avenge last year's losses to Army, Haggerty hopes to gauge their strengths and weaknesses.

In the sprints, he will be watching Yardlings Mary Rakie, Dele Fayemi and Colleen Collins along with junior Theresa Moore and Co-Captain Mariquita Patterson, who is certain to be one of the top Ivy League hurdlers and pentathletes.

In the field events, the women he'll have his eyes on are junior Jackie Boudreau in the high jump, Moore in the long jump and freshmen Jennifer St. Louis and Jane Grim in the throwing and leaping events respectively.

Though most of the women distance runners are resting today, they will play a key role in the Crimson's long term fare. With the return of Stricker, who holds the Harvard records for the mile, 1500 and 3000, the addition of freshman Kristin Permit plus seniors Kate Wiley, Miriam Keltz and Co Captain Amy Simon, the distance corps should be almost unbeatable.

The situation with the men is equally promising. In the field events, one of the weak weaknesses of last year's squad, the team has gotten some real boosts. First, there is the arrival of Al Bashian, the new weight event coach. Second, there is the return of Mark Henry. During his first three years here. Henry proved himself to be the most versatile member of the squad. He could not only win all three jumping event. but the sprints as well.

In the hurdles and middle distances, three-year letter winners Jim Herberich and Co-Captain Steve Ezeji-Okoye should continue to provide the team with strong performances, Sheehan, back after taking time off, senior Paul O' Leary and Co-Captain John Perkins should be the top Crimson finishers in the mile and half mile.

For longer distances, Haggerty will depend on juniors Paul Gompers, Paul Kent and Bill Pate and seniors Andy Gerken, Peter Jetley and Jim MacDonald to continue to run as well as they did during the cross country season.

If the Harvard track teams are to repeat their feats of 1982, the keys will be avoiding injuries and illness, and developing the freshmen. Depth, balance and health will make the difference between a Heps championship and a repeat of last year's disappointments.

Last year's poor showing could help this year's team.

"We were humbled last year," Co-Captain Simon says. "It's made us hungry this year."

Forget what your schedule says. It's wrong The Harvard men's basketball team opens its 1984-85 season against Metrimack today at Briggs Athletic Center at 3 p.m. That's 3 p.m. Not 1 p.m.

So, if you want to see Ivy League Player of the Year Joe Carrabino and the rest of Coach Frank McLaughlin's cagers, you have two more hours to:

a) read more sports on page 5.

b) calculate Harvard's chances to win its first Ivy basketball title.

c) wish you were in Ontario with the men's hockey team.

d) guess Billy Packer's hat size, or

e) sleep soundly.