The Harvard cross-country team wrapped up the season yesterday with a creditable, but not exceptional, eighth-place finish in the IC4A championships at Van Cortlandt Park in New York. A mighty Villanova squad thoroughly outclassed the other 29 teams from the East and Midwest to win by 101 points.

Doug Hardin, the Crimson's sophomore sensation, finished a disappointing 14th in 25:23. Hardin placed second in the Heps last week over the same course in 25:01. That time would have put him fifth yesterday.

The 58th running of the prestigious meet had been billed as a duel between Villanova and Georgetown, but the battle never materialized. The Philadelphians took first, third, fourth, sixth, and 12th places for 26 points to whip second-place Notre Dame. Georgetown, IC4A champs in 1964 and '65, couldn't show enough power on top and finished fourth with 177. Michigan State was third at 140.

Villanova's Charlie Messenger won the individual title by lopping nearly nine seconds off the old record, set last year by Georgetown's Eamon O'Reilly. Messenger's time of 24:15.6 over the hilly five-mile course put him well in front of Michigan State's Dick Sharkey, who also broke the old mark.

Sharkey had a sizeable lead on Messenger after four miles. But the Villanovan turned on the speed going up steep Cemetery Hill and pulled adead. Messenger increased his lead in the closing flat and won going away.

Tom Donnelly was third, Frank Murphy was fourth, and Ian Hamilton was sixth for Jumbo Elliot's Villanova squad. Dave Patrick, who rounded out the incredible scoring quintet at 12th, is the NCAA mile champion at 4:01.

Harvard may have been outclassed, but the harriers would certainly have finished higher if Bob Stempson had performed as well as he did in the Heps: Stempson placed 55th yesterday in 26:24. Last week he ran 25:48, which would have put him 27th and would have moved the Crimson to fourth.

Harvard Scores 200

The Harvard squad scored 200 points, putting them only a little behind Army (185), Penn State (184), and Manhattan (183).

The Crimson had lost to Navy but had whipped Army in the Heps. Yesterday, things were switched around. Cadet Jim Warner, injured most of the season, improved on his Heps time by 1:16. And Navy's Buzz Lawlor, the Heps champion, pulled a stitch yesterday and hobbled home in 143rd position.

Gordon McKusick of Cornell, also hurt for most of the year, was the only Ivy League runner to beat Hardin. McKusick placed tenth, seven seconds ahead of the man who had whipped him twice this season.

Other Harvard finishers were: captain Jim Baker (30th) in his best time this year, Dick Howe (50th), Joe Ryan (51th), Jim Smith (82nd), and Tim McLoone (98th).

Other Ivy League finishers were: Yale (14th). Princeton (15th), Brown (16th), Cornell (19th), and Penn (23rd). Princeton's Alan Andreini was 27th and Yale's Frank Shorter was 44th.

The Harvard harriers wind up their season with a 6-3 dual meet record. But by whipping Providence, Brown, and Northeastern today, they finish the year by beating every team that had beaten them.