The field performers on the varsity track team shattered two meet records in Briggs Cage last night and gave the Crimson a virtually insurmountable 20-point lead over Northeastern as the Greater Boston Track and Field Championships reached the half-way mark.
The runners take over the Cage at 2 p.m. today with the score standing Harvard 39, Northeastern 19, Boston University 10, Boston College 9, and M.I.T. 3.
High jumper Chris Pardee and pole vaulter George Winters were the record breakers for the Crimson. Pardee cleared 6 ft, 9 in. on his third and final try to smash Olympian John Thomas's record of 6 ft., 83/4 in. that had stood since 1961.
Just as he had done against Holly Cross earlier this week, Pardee had the bar moved to 6 ft. 10 1/2 in. and failed in three attempts to break his own Harvard mark.
Winters's meet record pole vault of 13 ft, 5 in. was the highest of his own Harvard career and earned the loudest applause of the evening from the Briggs Cage spectators. Winters had the bar moved all the way up to 13 ft., 9 in. but on his first try at the height the pole snapped in half during his ascent. Winters tumbled safely into the foam cushioning but chose not to attempt any more vaults.
Almost half of the rest of the Crimson scoring came from captain Art Croasdale, who took second places in the weight throw and shot put. Croasdale's perennial nemeses from Northeastern, Bill Corsetti and Carl Wallin, were the winners of these two events.
Corsetti's winning effort in the weight was 60 ft., 7 in., almost two feet longer than Croasdale's best toss of 58 ft., 8 1/4 in. Croasdale's best put, a 54 ft., 9 3/4 in. heave, was a marked improvement over quite good enough to win. Wallin threw the shot 55 ft., 11 1/4 in.
The Crimson freshmen also carry a big lead into today's competition. The Yardlings have 42 1/2 points; second-place Boston College has 24.
All the front-line varsity runners qualified last night for the finals today.
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