Harvard's Ed Nosal, the defending champion in the 35-pound weight throw finished fifth in the finals of the 1971 NCAA National Indoor Track Meet in Detroit yesterday morning. Nosal had a strong throw of 61'7", but he was unable to overcome a classy field which was led by Kent State's Al Schoterman. Schoterman, a 230-pounder, hurled the weight 68'101/4", breaking the old collegiate record by more than three feet.

Dewey Hickman, running in the 60-yard hurdles, failed to advance beyond the quarterfinals. Hickman's best time of the season was 7.4, just barely qualifying him for the meet. According to teammate Rick Melvoin, Hickman was in Detroit "mostly for the experience."

Miler Tom Spengler and Don Escoe ran in trial heats late last night. Coach Bill McCurdy was hopeful that the pair could make it to the finals, but he didn't expect them to finish near the top.

"With a field that big and with the talent there is out there, I don't see how the boys can do too well in the finals," he said.

The meet is continuing today in Detroit's Cobo Hall.