This is a grim time of year for Jaakko Mikkola. It's been that way for more autumns than Mr. Mikkola cares to recall, because Jaakko coaches cross-country and track-and Harvard hasn't turned out a reasonably good team in either sport since the war.

Although Mikkola's varsity and freshman harrier teams hold an overall advantage of 34 victories and 10 losses in Harvard-Yale competition, a dangerous trend has come to the fore in the last few seasons. It won't endanger the Crimson's lead, in the immediate future, anyway, but Yale seems to be narrowing the gap and Jaakko regretfully reports that this year the Eli's have a fair chance of winning the intercollegiate championship. Since good cross-country teams usually lead to good track teams and poor cross-country teams don't such a situation doesn't bode well for the spring either.

Meager Turnout

Mikkola held his first meeting of varsity candidates Tuesday and 11 runners from the 1948 squad showed up. Twentyeight were expected. The list of seasoned men is headed by Captain Joe Leeming, Joe Rosen, Dick White, Alden Albee, Henry Everett, and Bill Baker. Baker was hampered by a sore foot most of last season but appears sound again. White was the first Harvard runner to finish in the Big Three last year.

Several sophomores may be able to help out this fall-Dave Karens, Owen Edmunds, and Dave Gregory, last year's freshman captain.

Jaakko will be able to tell more about his squad after the University Handicaps tomorrow. These serve as time trials and determine the personnel who are likely to compete in the opening race against Tufts a week from tomorrow.

Harvard lost all its meets last year. Its best showing of the season came in the Big Three triangular meet Yale won and Princeton just edged the Crimson, 29 to 30.

The freshmen had a rather good season last year, beating Yale in the Harvard-Yale-Princeton run, 21 to 40. An encouraging note was the fact that the Yardlings dropped first place to Princeton by only 21 to 37.