Harvard's third place finish behind Maryland and Villanova in last week's IC4A track meet makes the Crimson short-odds favorite in today's Heptagonal championship at Cornell.

For the third year running, Army and Navy-pose the largest threat to Bill McCurdy's squad, but nothing short of an outbreaks of arthritis can keep the runners from winning their third consecutive title.

Captain Tony Lynch, defending champion in the 60-yard hurdles, is Harvard's surest first-place bet. Lynch ran 7.2 for second place in the IC's, and the nearest Heptagonal competitor was Navy's Joe Wiggins in the fifth spot. Amount sophomore Gordon Rule, who upset Lynch in over, should battle Wiggins for second place tonight.

Trey Burns, University record-holder in the 1000, is favorite in that event, but Princeton's Terry O'Keeffe Brown's Jim Wick are only a step behind. O'Keeffe Burns both posted 2:10.4 clockings, but the Harvard sophomore won by a yard in the Big Three meet.

Harvard should pick up another victory in the two-mile where Jim Baker faces a host of runners who have good times in their scrapbooks but have failed to live up to notices in the IC's. Navy's Greg Williams, with a 9:04.4, has the best clocking in the league, with Princeton's Geisel (9:06.9) not far behind. Army's Paul DeCourvey may be the best of the competition in this one, but Baker beat him easily in December on first the last half of a mile, two-mile double.

Chris Pardee, a hard-luck story in last year's Heps when he lost his shoes and finished second in the high jump, will try to hold off Cadet sophomore Karl Kremser for the title tonight. Pardee edged Kremser on fewer misses at 6 ft., 6 in. the IC's, but the Army jumper missed clearing 6 ft., 10 in.

In the other events, the Crimson will settler for lower places. Navy sophomore Robert Donahue, who has run a 0:06.1 and owns a victory over Fordham great Sam Perry, looks like a sure winner. But Wayne Anderson, the defending champion in the event, may take the second.

Battle in 600

In the 600. Yale's Mark Young (1:09.9) and Cornell's Bill Brackle (1:10.2) should run one-two, but Jeff Huvelle Frank Haggerty will be battling Navy's Jay Prout and Army's Rance Farrell, the defending champion for points. Farrell has been off his form winter.

Pardee and Harvey Thomas may come with a few more points in the broad jump, where Cornell's Robert Holmes ft., (23 ft., 10 in.), Army's Paul Haseman ft., 9 in.), and Navy's Tom Palkie ft., 7 in.) head a mediocre field. Pardee 23 ft., 2 3/4 in, effort against Yale the Crimson's best of the season.

Princeton's two-mile relay team was a close second to Fordham in the IC's, and and should edge Navy for the Heptagonal Navy has a 3:16.2 mile quartet, but the hard pressed to beat Yale and town Cornell, both anchored by strong 600 men.