But in Worcester, at the Eastern Sprints, Crimson nemesis Yale trounced the oarsmen to solidify the Eli's claim to the national title and frustrate Harvard's hopes for the second straight year.

Aaaargh!

Sept. 23, 1978--The Crimson gridders drop their season opener in a stunning 21-19 loss to Columbia. It is the first victory for the Lions in Cambridge since 1961. Senior halfback Wayne Moore tears through the Columbia defense for 97 yards, including a dazzling 73-yd. touch-down romp.

Sept. 30, 1978--The gridders storm back a week later to zap the UMass Minutemen, 10-0; but Moore is lost for the season with a broken and dislocated ankle.

The Crimson football team typified Harvard sports in '78-'79: sweet hopes, but sour results. The gridders toppled eventual Ivy champ Dartmouth and Penn, but fell by a single point in an excruciating loss to Brown. Cornell slopped past them on a muddy field. And in the cruelest finish, despite having the ball on Princeton's five yard line with 28 seconds left, the offense stumbled and fumbled, and the game ended in a 24-24 deadlock.

The Crimson fought its way back from a 35-14 deficit in The Game to within one touchdown. But the Yale offense killed the last six minutes of the season, as senior quarterback Larry Brown and his cohorts watched hopes die one last time.

The 'Herd,' the women and victory

Oct. 17, 1978--

The men's and women's cross country squads sweep in the Greater Boston Championship meets. Senior Peter Fitzsimmons and sophomore Anne Sullivan each grab second-place finishes in their divisions.

The "Herd" was the word in Harvard cross country circles this fall. Senior captain Mark Meyer and senior Eddie Sheehan joined Fitzie to lead the harriers to a solid season, including a convincing victory in the Big Three meet with Princeton and Yale. Coach Bill McCurdy's harriers notched the 28th spot in the national ranks.

The women's squad, coached by Pappy Hunt, also enjoyed considerable success. Therese Sellers and Karla Amble trampled opponents all season long, following closely in Sullivan's footsteps. The harriers took second in the New Englands, behind Vermont.

Princeton squeaked by the harriers in the Big Three meet, 29-37, but freshman Paula Newnham returned from an early season case of food poisoning to register the Crimson's top result in that contest.

Title time

Nov. 4, 1978--The Harvard women's soccer team caps a magnificent season by toppling Brown, 3-0, to capture the Ivy League championship. Julie Brynteson scores the hat trick and garners the tournament's Most Valuable Player honors.

Standouts Wendy Sands and Kathy Batter anchored a wall-like defense that allowed forwards like Sue St. Louis, Cat Ferrante and Ellen Hart to ignite an explosive attack. Only a late-season loss to UMass marred the booters' record, but coach Bob Scalise's crew was as balanced a team as seen in a long time in the Ivy League.