In this season's make-or-break meet, the varsity cross country team really came to life and upset a powerful Dartmouth squad, 25 to 33, yesterday in Franklin Park. The decisive triumph culminated the Crimson's comeback from its opening 22-32 loss to Cornell and gave coach Bill McCurdy one of the more pleasant victories of his coaching career.

Mark Mullin finished first for the Crimson after fighting Dartmouth's tabled Tom Laris step for step for almost the entire five-mile distance. Mullin's time was 25:47, by far his best performance of the year. After two miles, Mullin led Laris by two yards, but Laris overhauled the Crimson ace a mile further along.

Mullin and Laris battled through the fourth mile, and came to the head of the half-mile finishing stretch still even. But Mullin began his kick with 150 yards to go, and Laris gradually fell back. Mullin's final margin was close to 10 yards.

Even though Mullin defeated Laris for the first time in 11 tries, the Crimson still would not have won without the clutch efforts of captain Jed Fitzgerald, Fred Howard, Greg Baldwin, Ed Hamlin, and a host of others.

When Mullin began to slacken his pace shortly after the three-mile post, Fits-gerald moved up to keep Laris and Jennison under pressure. Mullin was back in business by the four-mile mark, and Fitzgerald eventually took fourth in 26:11. Howard, in his third cross country race, was fifth in 26:22, and Haldwin finished sixth, six seconds behind.

Ed Hamlin, running with a severe cold, hung on grimly for ninth place, and Bob Knapp and Jack Benjamin displaced Dartmouth competitors by taking 10th and 11th. Was Hildreth exhibited the determination that drove the entire team yesterday by putting on a desperate closing sprint to snatch 12th place away from Indian Dud Hallagan after the meet had already been decided.

Freshman captain Eddie Moehan and Mike Platt were one-two for the Yardlings as they also pulled an upset, 22 to 37, over the Green. Jeff Peck and John Weinstein backed up the leaders coming in fifth and sixth.