Jaakko Mikkola's cross-country runners pulled a stunning upset yesterday in their opening meet by defeating heavily-favored Rhode Island State and Holy Cross at Franklin Park. The Crimson harriers totaled 34 points, Rhode Island, 36, and Holy Cross, 59. It was Harvard's first varsity victory in a triangular meet since the war.

The Rams, last year's New England Intercollegiate champs and New England's leading cross-country team for the last three years, had already run in two meets, which included a win over Springfield. Although Ram Ray Lister won the varsity race, and Dick Ahern of Holy Cross was second, the Crimson won by bunching its finishers, placing third, fifth, seventh, eighth, and eleventh.

Dave Gregory was the first Harvard finisher, followed by Dave Cairns, Paul Judy, Dick White, and Captain John Pankey. Lister's winning time over the four-mile course was 22:48.2, with Gregory's, 23:02. The meet was extremely close.

Crimson Freshmen Lose

Rhode Island's freshmen eked out a one-point win over the Crimson, 36 to 37, with the Crusaders' '54 scoring 49. Ram Dom Mitchrony just nipped Yardling Emil San Souci in the last quarter-mile by 3.5 seconds, with Harvard's Hubert Maguire finishing third. Hal Gerry placed fifth, Bruce Phillips ninth, and Leo Carroll seventeenth, to round out the Crimson scorers. The freshman course was about three miles, with average times.

"They did a wonderful job," Mikkola said after the race. "All of them ran very well; you can't single out any one." Next week the Crimson harriers take on a strong Brown contingent and Boston University in another triangular meet.