The third successive sweep of the New London regatta and the surprise victory over Yale in the baseball series provided a tumultuous climax to an otherwise mediocre 1939-40 athletic year.

Yale had taken the Crimson's measure in football, hockey, basketball, swimming and track the other five major sports and had enjoyed more than its share of success in minor sports before the New London conclave.

But rowing is riding the crest of a success wave. The Varsity has soundly thrashed the men from New Haven for five straight years, and all four Crimson eights--Varsity, Junior Varsity, Freshman and combination--have triumphed at New London for the last three years.

Crew Blanks Yale

Yale, last June, was expected to snap the Crimson's string in the Junior Varsity race, and, perhaps, in the Varsity. After the combination and Freshman boats laughed their way to victory, the Jayvees jumped Yale, held the lead and won by two lenghts. Then the Varsity never led after the first 12 strokes, counted its monumental 31-second victory.

Because of superior pitching, Yale's nine was a pre-series favorite. Yale's pitching failed after the first game. A below-par Crimson Varsity advantaged from the breaks and its own fight to win the second and third games and captured the series for the second straight year.

These rowing and baseball honors, the triumphs over Yale in soccer, cross-country, Freshman football, and lacrosse, and the track team's win over Yale, Dartmouth and Cornell in the Quadrangular Meet were the successes of the sport year.

Captain Jim Lightbody of track, Captain Tom Healey of baseball and Captain Howard Mendel of soccer were individual greats of the year. One of the Crimson's greatest competitors and middle-distance runners, Lightbody doubled in the 600 and 1000 to inspire the trackmen to their Quadrangular win. He set a new Harvard half-mile record, and lost to Burrowes of Princeton by a fraction in the I.C.A.A.A.A, half mile, one of the great foot races of all time.

Leading scholar athlete of his class, Healey starred at tackle on the eleven and led a handicapped nine to victory over Yale. He pitched the first victory over the Elis, and relieved Ayres in the second victory. He pitched a win over Yale each of his three Varsity years.

Mendel shone in soccer and track. In pacing the team to triumph against Yale, he scored a goal against Yale for the third successive year. He set a new Harvard shot put record in the spring, and became the first Harvard man to put the shot over 50 feet.

There were other starts--Torby Macdonald, flashy halfback and football leader, track dashman and baseball outfielder; Chuck Lutz, clever ball-handling basketball captain; Eric Cutler, stalwart distance man and captain of the swimmers; Robinson Stevens, captain and polished No. 7 man of the crew; Jack Wilson, crew stroke; Capt. Ace Cordingley and Bob Graves, of the golf team; and Dave Burt, tennis captain.

Football Slumps in '39

The young football team, studded with sophomores, had small chance. Its only major victory was over Army. Installed the favorite over a badly under-rated Blue outfit, it bowed to a Yale team which played inspired football for its injured captain, who sat on the bench.

After a run of superior material, the hockey team lapsed last winter. Its season was the poorest in years, and it was no match for a good Yale team. The basketball five, handicapped by lack of height, played fine ball at times, but was not of championship calibre, either in the Eastern league or against Yale. Another great Yale swimming team outmanned the Crimson.

The outdoor track season was a disappointment, for the team never realized its full potentialities. The cross-country team was undefeated, the lacrosse team tied for a regional championship but the tennis, golf, fencing and wrestling teams all bowed before Yale in their objective contests.

All that is history. The sport year 1940-41, with all it holds in store, now is starting.