The varsity cross country team will make its first "away" start of the season this afternoon at Providence College. The Crimson is not likely to duplicate the shutout score it achieved against Boston University last Tuesday, but will still be favored to make the Friars its third straight victim.

So far the varsity has avoided the Asian flu bug currently sweeping through the University, and coach Bill McCurdy is hopeful of starting the same twelve men who produced the B.U. debacle.

Pete Reider, who has been the individual winner in both previous meets, is once again the best Crimson hope for first place.

But junior Dyke Benjamin, who stayed with Reider until the final half-mile in the B.U. meet, has been improving steadily and now looms as another possibility for top honors.

Behind these two, McCurdy will count chiefly on capt. Dave Norris, Willie Thompson, French Anderson, Eddie Martin, and Mac Brown.

Thompson and Martin turned in particularly encouraging performances in Tuesday's meet, finishing third and fourth respectively.

Providence will counter with essentially the same team that succumbed to the Crimson by a 23-38 score last season. The Crimson squad is not taking this meet lightly, however, for seniors like Norris and Reider still remember the surprise defeat that Providence inflicted on them as freshmen. Three runners who beat Reider that year will be in the Friar lineup today.

The Yardlings, too, will be seeking their third straight victory as they take on the Providence freshmen a half-hour before the varsity meet. Not so adept as the varsity runners at dodging the Asian flu, their lineup is still in doubt. Four members of the regular starting lineup have been sidelined by the disease in the past week. Among the most recent victims is Yardling ace Brandy Harrison.