In what Harvard coach Bill McCurdy boasted was "the best team performance of the year," the Crimson trackmen ran to a second-place finish, just three points behind Northeastern, in yesterday's Greater Boston Championships (GBC's) at MIT.

The usual strong performance in the field events, which yesterday included the return-to-form of pole vaulter Geoff Stiles, and consistent scoring in the running events helped the Crimson to the number-two placing in the multi-team event.

Northeastern and Harvard battled to a 111-108 finish, with Boston University next in line at 49.

Tom Lenz continued his mastery of the hammer throw, winning with a toss of 58.42 meters. Tom McDevitt took second and Ed Ajotian nabbed fourth to give the Crimson total control of the event. Dave Kinney and Mike Stewart teamed up for one-two in the javelin, Kinney winning with a 211-ft., 3-in. toss; and Joe Pelligrini tossed the discuss 47.88 meters, good for second-place honors.

Stiles, ignoring the wind and regaining his high-flying style, won the vault with a 15-ft., 6-in. effort, while co-captain Dan Sullivan took the high jump at 6 ft., 8 in.

Despite all the wins in the field, number one was not the rule on the track. It was instead continuous thirds, fourths and fifths that kept Harvard on the heels of Northeastern. The lone victor for the Crimson on the track was co-captain Paul Organ, who took the 110-meter high hurdles in 15.38, while battling a vicious head wind.

Seconds from Ed Sheehan in the 10,000-meter run, and John Chafee in the 800-meter run, and a triplet of thirds from freshman John Murphy in the 1500-meters, Peter Fitzsimmons in the steeplechase, and Reed Eichner in the 5000-meters, comprised the bulk of the high Harvard scoring.

The problem that ultimately spelled defeat for the Crimson, though, was that Northeastern would consistently place one position in front of the thinclads, providing just enough momentum for the slim victory.

A pair of thirds in the relays and a second and third from Hasan Kayali in the long and triple jumps, respectively, left Harvard just short of the win in the battle for bragging rights around Beantown.