The number of promising sprinters is small. Blumer, who won a place in the 220-yard dash in both the Yale and intercollegiate meets this year, and R.C. Foster of the Freshman team are better in the longer dash than in the 100-yards. It will take a great deal of hard work to develop enough sprinters to bring the team up to the average in these events. The outlook in the quarter and half-mile runs is brighter. Merrihew and deSelding are closely matched in the former, while Jaques of the Freshman team and Whitcher should again give the University the advantage over Yale in the half-mile. With the exception of Jaques in the mile, there is but little first-class material for the distance runs. H. Guild '10, E.L. Viets '10, R.F. Hoyt '10, J.R. Coolidge '10, R.E. Dole '10, C. Lanier '10, and M.H. Whitney '09 have all shown some ability in the runs, but are for the most part inexperienced in comparison with the Yale runners.
Harvard's strength in the hurdles will be to a great extent offset by the remarkable ability of Howe, Robbins and Kilpatrick of Yale. Nevertheless, with Captain Rand and Gardner at their best and with a year's improvement in Long. Sweetser and Chadwick of the 1911 team the University may at least hope to break even with Yale in these two events and win several points in the intercollegiates.
A great deal of attention has been paid to developing secondary men in the field events this year with considerable success. Stephenson and Bangs will be missed from the shot-put next spring but Little and Burr with another season's training should be able to hold the majority of points for Harvard. Pope and Harwood will form a strong team in the high-jump, with the addition of several promising Freshmen. Little and Ruch, together with Dick and Long of the 1911 team, are the most promising of the broad-jumpers, but Yale will have a good jumper next spring in Kilpatrick. There will be plenty of room for hammer throwers as none of those who trained for the event this year can be considered in the first class. Ruch is good for his size, but lacks weight, while Little is needed in the shot-put.
Three pole-vaulters were developed last season, and while none of them was placed in the big meets, they all show promise of being valuable members of the team next spring. They are S.C. Lawrence '10, E.L. Parker '10, and J.L. Barr '10.
A brief summary of the material already developed shows the team to be fairly strong in the hurdles, the middle distances, and the shot-put, high-jump and pole-vault. There are a few sprinters and broad-jumpers. A victory over Yale or a creditable showing in the intercollegiate meet can hardly be hoped for unless more and better men are developed in the dashes, the distances, and the hammer-throw. A great deal of Yale's victory and Harvard's success in the field events this year was due to the improvement in the material already at hand by means of experience in actual competition. At present the chances of winning next year's dual meet are greatly in favor of Yale, just as they favored Harvard at this time last year. Numbers and training can, however, overcome this handicap.
The Crew.
The prospects for a strong University crew for next year are very bright. Only one man, J. Richardson, Jr., '08, the captain, who rows number 7, will be lost by graduation. It is likely that one of the members of this year's crew will be changed to number 7. To fill the vacancy will be P. Withington '09 and R.M. Ellis '09, of the University four-oar, as well as R.W. Cutler '11, L. Withington, Jr., and other members of the 1911 Freshman crew. Several of the members of the upperclass crews will be available another year as material for the University squad.