A healthy Harvard team hopes to finish among the top five in the NCAA cross country championships today in Williamsburg, Va.

Two Crimson harriers, captain Tom Spengler and Bob Seals, feel that they are able to finish in the top 25, an accomplishment which would make them All-Americans.

Villanova, the University of Texas at El Paso, Pitt, host William and Mary, and perhaps some western teams are expected to be the best teams along with Harvard. A top-five finish in such a field will require a superb Crimson effort.

To do that well the Crimson must, for one, overcome a psychological disadvantage built up over recent years. In both 1968 and 1969, Harvard entered the meet with high hopes, only to be disappointed. Last year, for example, Mike Koerner was the team's highest finisher, placing a dismal 115th. Harvard was 29th.

Injuries traditionally have prevented Harvard from running at full strength. Two years ago, standout Doug Hardin was unable to compete. Last year, both Spengler and Dave Pottetti-an All-American as a sophomore-missed the meet, while Keith Colburn was slowed significantly by a chest cold.

Today, Tom New will not run for the Crimson because of an ailing knee Koerner and Marshall Jones, two excellent runners who missed almost the whole season, will not be there either.

But the rest of the team is in good condition. Spengler and Seals have not been bothered by their troublesome hips, and Jeff Brokaw is improving rapidly since recovering from a leg injury. Workouts last week went well.

"I think we're all really up." Seals said Saturday before leaving for Virginia. "I'm not just saying that. I really think we are."

Part of the reason for this mental preparedness is the encouraging Crimson performance last week in the ICAA's. Harvard barely managed to place a distant third, but the Crimson harriers recovered well after a slow start and the five sophomores gained valuable big-race experience.

Coach Bill McCurdy was also encouraged by the race. "We had six guys in the 25:00's; that's pretty fair running," he said.

The course may help the Crimson, especially Seals, more than it will other teams. It is relatively flat-unlike Van Cortland Park, with only one hill, which the runners must climb twice during the race. It is six miles instead of the usual five.