On paper the undefeated freshman track team's chances against Dartmouth this Saturday look grim. The Indians recently trounced Exeter by 43 points, while the freshmen had to come from behind in the final event of the afternoon last Saturday to eke out an eight point win over the prepschoolers.

Paper or no paper, Jaakko Mikkola and Carl Olsen, who coach the '52s, both say that the outcome at Hanover will be "very close." "My golly, there's a lot of fight in those boys," Jaakko exclaims, adding that the freshmen could win.

Contrary to tradition established in recent years, the real strength in this year's freshman squad lies in the running events rather than in the weights. The varsity weight men, this year, as in most recent years, have been leading the Crimson to all its track victories. 'Fifty-two weightmen, on the other hand, while not displaying outright weakness, have been forced to take a secondary position behind a host of really strong runners.

Rounding out the overall picture, the jumping, polevaulting, and hurdling has been improving steadily every meet. The javelin, minus the service of Fred Ravreby, has remained weak.

Core of Team

The close win over Exeter Saturday gave added proof to the fact that it is the middle distance runners and the milers who are the real core of the team. It is in the quarter, the half, and the mile that the Crimson has the depth which has resulted in clean sweeps in these events time after time.

Out of a possible 27 points in these three events, the freshmen have scored 25, 27 and 26 in the three wins they have registered thus far this season. They also have won the mile relay in the two meets in which this event was run.

Dave Cairns, Dave Gregory, Ron Berman, Jim Downey, Bill Montague, Ed Grutzner, Steve Sharp and Tom McGrath compose the group that consistently score sweeps in the middle distances and the mile.

High Scorers

But don't let the impression be created that the freshmen are weak in the dash and hurdle events. The most consistent winner of all the Crimson runners, is flect sprinter Dick Weiskopf. A second in the 220 in the opening meet of the season is all that mars his record of firsts in the 100 and 220 in every contest this spring. Charlie Durakis has never taken lower than a second in either the high or the low hurdles.

The two mile event is the only weak spot in the running picture.

Bill Gelck, recently elected captain of the team, is a Jack of all jumps. The Crimson's top high Jumper, he combines with Jim McLaughlin to form an effective broad jumping team. Both Gelck and McLaughlin also support Durakis in the hurdles. Not content with these events, Geick likes to dabble in the pole vault.

The vaulting has been somewhat weak all season. Snow and Gelck have upheld Crimson honors in this department, and Sam Paschal came through with a jump of 11 feet in the Exeter meet, and promise of better things.

Ravreby, fresh back from Art Valpey's refresher course, is the Crimson hope in the javelin, the shot and the discus. He is reported to be tight (muscularly), however, and he still suffers from an arm injury sustained in football practice.

Phil Campbell also throws the javelin, Bill Erdman and Leon Sabath put the shot, and Erman and erratic Jack Kigen heave the discus.

Hundred and seventy-five pound Dan Tucker overhauled his teammate 240- pound Dick Rubin to win the hammer throw against Exeter Saturday.

The freshmen have noted with alarm some of the times and distances in recent Dartmouth meets. It will take a lot of fight to beat a 4:35 mile, a 22.0 second 220, a 10.2 second 100, a 1:58 half, or a Javelin heave of 190 feet.

After Dartmouth comes Andover, and then Yale and Efinger. There's no doubt about it, the honeymoon is over and the real tests lie ahead.