Except for possible injuries on the squad, the varsity track team should win them all this year, including Yale. The Crimson boasts enough strength and depth in the middle-distance, distance, and field events to more than compensate for a weakness in the sprints and high jump.

One of the keys to success this year will be the recovery of Tom Blodgett, the top man in the 120 high hurdles, javelin throw, and pole vault. Blodgett pulled a thigh muscle at the Army meet Feb. 20 but is reported doing well now.

In the field events, the Crimson is exceptionally strong in the hammer throw with two men, Ed Bailey and Stan Doten, both throwing well over 200 feet. The third man, Roger Wilson, has been consistently close to the 200-ft. mark. These three should guarantee a Harvard sweep of the event. The shot-put is another Crimson specialty this year, and both the current record holder, Rick deLone, and the former record holder, Sarge Nichols, are doing 53 feet regularly.

Broad Jump Strength

The broad jump is a third strong event, with four men jumping over 23 feet. Top on the ladder are Chukwuma Azikiwe and Marty Beckwith, who have both jumped 23 ft., 3 in., and Blodgett can come within half an inch of this.

The hop, step and jump also looks bright. Azikiewe, doing 45 feet consistently, is a good pick for the IC4A Heptagonal winner this year. Alan Albright, an advance standing sophomore, has also been doing well. In the pole vault, Tom Blodgett is expected to clear 14 feet this year, high enough to give the Crimson a solid first in every meet. There is no one else on the squad, however, who can come within two feet of this mark.

The javelin and discus are, if not overpowering, at least solid. John Bronstein has been throwing the discus over 160 feet regularly, and in the javelin-throw. Boldgett and Tom Corbin are both throwing around or over 200 feet.

In the middle distance and distance events, the trackmen boast a half-dozen strong runners. The best miler is junior Mark Mullin, who holds the University record of 4:10.6. He is followed by Jed Fitzgerald, this year's cross-country captain (4:10.8) and varsity captain Fred Howard (4:11.7).

Howard is also the Crimson's best halfmiler, and holds the University record of 1:52.0. In the 440, Larry Repsher, Don Kirkland (who was third in the Heptagonals in the 600 yard run) and Dave Nawi are all under 50 seconds.

This year's mile relay team is strong, and it's just as well because the Yale meet will probably hinge on it. The team has been doing 3:20 consistently, and it is expected that for the Yale meet the time might drop five seconds. But the distance relay combination is even stronger. In fact, it might crack the American record in the four-mile on April 28 at the Penn Relays. The present mark is 16:52.3, but the team could in theory clip it by as much as five seconds.

The team does have its weaknesses, however. In the high jump, one of Yale's strongest events, the varsity's best men can clear six feet only occasionally. The Crimson's jumpers--Beckwith and Tony Leness--will have to raise this mark over half a foot to beat Yale's leading two men. For the dashes, the varsity will have to depend on only one good performer, Frank Yeomans, who has tied the indoor record for the 60 yard dash at 6.3 seconds.