While the Harvard track team demonstrated amazing individual talent in the distance events and pole vault, its lack of depth and overall strength forced it to settle for fifth place at the Heptagonals, Saturday at Hanover, N.H.

The University of Pennsylvania forced last year's winner, Cornell, to take a second-place berth in 1979 as the Quakers racked up a grand total of 57 1/2 points. Army and Princeton grabbed third and fourth place honors, respectively, while Harvard, Dartmouth, Navy, Brown, Yale and Columbia followed in that order.

Pointers

With the exception of the pole vault, Harvard registered all its points in the 800-, 1000-, 1500-, 3000-, and 5000-meter races.

Senior Ed Sheehan's second-place effort in the 5000 (about 3 miles) started the Crimson distance blitz and put Harvard on the scoreboard.

Sheehan led the race from about the mile on; but with 330 yards to go, Quaker Joe Brandon, who trailed Sheehan by a large margin at the cross-country heptagonals this fall, took revenge and crossed the tape first.

Sophomore John Murphy kept the fast pace set by Sheehan and captured the 1500, a race that is just a little under Murphy's traditional specialty--the mile.

Although Murphy was seeded number one, until after the race there was some question as to whether he had fully

HEPTAGONALS

at Hanover, N.H.

35-lb. weight-throw--

1. Ed Kania (D) 21.46 meters; 2. Ken Jansson (d) 20.06; 3. Shaun O'Keefe (D) 19.66; 4. Steve Baginski (Cor) 19.50; 5. Dave Pelligrini (P) 18.32; 6. Tim Bruno (B) 18.30.

5000-Meter Run--

1. Joe Brandon (Penn) 14:30.52; 2. Ed Sheehan (H) 14:35.75; 3. Mike Grogan (A) 14:38.16; 4. Rich McNally (Col) 14:41.78; 5. Turner Stauffer (D) 14:46.14.

1500-Meter Run--