Although Saturday's 1.7 mile Charles River Run was a first-year intramural event, the first three people to cross the finish line were not students, but their proctors.

Chris B. Dewing '95 of Matthews South claimed first place with a time of 8 minutes 41 seconds, followed closely by John C. Oakes '92 of Canaday F (8:50) and Adam S. Geyer '93 of Wigglesworth J/K (9:03).

"I thought it reflected poorly on the speed of the freshman class," Dewing laughed. "I realize that the previous night was probably a night of debauchery for much of the freshman class, but that notwithstanding, I think it's pretty sad that a bunch of old men could take it home and win it 1-2-3."

Geyer agreed.

"It's sort of funny," he said with a smile. "I didn't do the run my freshman year, but I'd always hoped one day to have my picture in the Union. Now, as a proctor, I get the chance."

Among current first-years, Joahd M. Toure of Hurlbut finished first with a time of 9:15, followed by Mower residents Nick I. Kovac (9:20) and Dave R. Michaels (9:23).

In the women's division, Lionel's Ola A. Mobolade took first place in 10:37, with Jean W. Galbraith of Matthews South (11:00) and Vi 'I. Nguyen of Hurlbut (11:32) placing second and third, respectively.

Despite the rainy weather, 224 first-years and their proctors showed up at the Newell Boat House at 9:30 Saturday morning, making this the largest intramural event of the year.

"I was definitely impressed with the turnout," said proctor Craig L. Knight, who coordinates the first-year intramural program. "It shows great enthusiasm for the class of '99. It's good for intramurals and good for Harvard intramural spirit."

Geyer attributed the event's success to its organization.

"It was really well-planned [and] went off without a hitch," he said. "The [intramural] reps did a good job."

Participants praised the friendly atmosphere of the event.

"It was really just a fun thing," said Toure.

And Mobolade called the turnout "uplifting."

Each participant earned two points for his or her dorm, and those placing first, second, and third in each division earned 20, 15 and 10 points, respectively.

Knight said that due to the unusual finish, a separate proctor division would be created for scoring purposes.

According to Michael A. O'Mary '99, the top five dorms in the Yard Bucket competition are now Mower. Lionel, Massachusetts, Hollis and Wigglesworth