Big Green Teams
Basketball, Track Teams Excel and Hockey Team Acquires League Title; Swimmers' Best Season in Years
LAST MONTH this corner was started by the words "this has been a month J taken from the book of the masters." If such was true, we may begin this by saying that this month has been one taken from the super-masters. Two Dartmouth sports teams annexed titles outright, and a third has at least a temporary share in a league title at this writing.
Number one team to clinch a title was the skiers, who fashioned something of a skiing upset over at Middlebury on February 20-21 as they edged out New Hampshire for the ISU title. Second are the amaz- ing charges of Eddie Jeremiah, who swept aside any attempt at opposition, as they pounded along to the Pentagonal Hockey crown without suffering a league defeat.
It's something of a shame that magazines and newspapers, being magazines and newspapers, have a deadline to meet. For if they didn't we would have held this over another night in order to find out the outcome of the all-important EIL basketball playoff at Penn's Palestra between the Big Green and Princeton. As it stands now they're both deadlocked with 10 wins and a defeats. Dartmouth's fifth straight EIL title hangs in the balance of the outcome of this play-off game. (Results of the playoff will be found on the next page.—ED.)
Picking up the basketball resumé where we left it last issue: Dartmouth, Won 6, Lost i; we will try to bring you up to date, to their present 10-2 record. First of the results on the ledger is a disappoint- ing one—and for a time it seemed that it was the back-breaker as far as the title was concerned. Viz., the 52-49 loss to Penn at the Palestra. To many the result was incredible in view of the earlier 75-31 shellacking administered the Quakers by the Big Green in Hanover.
Admittedly, it was something of a slump for the Indians but the Quakers had good material, good coaching, and after their usual late start (opening game around Feb. 7) they began to click better with each contest. The high-scoring trio of George Munroe, Jim Olsen and Bob Myers contributed 40 of the 49 points—17, 12, and 11 respectively.
If ever a team bounced back quickly and decisively it was this team, for the remainder of the season. In the next game they lashed out with emphatic 66-23 win over Columbia on the home court. Never anything like a contest, it was 35-13 at the half, and a canter from there in. Myers was top dog for the evening with 18 points —all of them on field goals.
Next in line was the worrisome Cornell game on the Barton Hall court at Ithaca. But, in a high-scoring spree, the Indians hit 30 out of 61 of their field goals to rack up a 68-53 margin. Again it was the lanky sophomore Myers who led the way, this time with 21 points. Not far behind were Olsen with 15 and Munroe with 16.
With their chances for a title depending on their stretch drive, the Indians ran very well, and save for a slight "tying up" near the end when they eked past Columbia at New York by a 46-43 edge, they showed they had that drive. The Olsen-Munroe-Myers combine was good for 15, 13, and 10 points.
Final league game of the regular league season was with Yale at Hanover, and it hardly drew sweat on the Indians—if such an inelegant term may be used, with 68-52 as the final score. Munroe gave the crowd some excitement as he threw in 14 points in the first half, and needed but ten more in the second to break Gus Broberg's league record of 180. However, he got but four more, and was taken out of the game by Coach Ossie Cowles with about five minutes left.
An important post-season development was the bid to the NCAA tournament for the second straight year followed by the second straight acceptance. It is to be played in New Orleans and Kansas City, the former site for the teams east of the Mississippi, the latter for teams west of it. Competing in the eastern division in addition to the Indians (who are representing New England) are Kentucky, Penn State, and Illinois. Dartmouth opposes Penn State, and Kentucky meets Illinois in the opening round which is to be played Friday, March 20th. The final round, with the two survivors competing, will be played the next night.
Over on the hockey side of the picture, there is presented to view the best aggregation ever to represent the College. Coach Eddie Jeremiah, in a recent release to the metropolitan papers, unblushingly claimed the national title for his team. And he doesn't need to blush; all that is necessary is a silent look at the records and his claim is amply vindicated.
Starting off the season with the already famous sophomore line of Dick Rondeau, Jack Riley, and Bill Harrison, backed up on the defense by John Krol and Harry Gerber, and with the brilliant Captain Ted Lapres in the nets, the Indians finished up with but three of their six starters available for duty. Krol was first to go, due to scholastic difficulties. Both Riley and Captain Lapres played their swan song in the Harvard game at Cambridge, February 21. Riley was forced to undergo an operation prior to entering the Naval Air Corps, and Lapres suffered a recurrence of an old knee injury while making a split save, and was forced to the shelf for the remainder of the season.
In rapid succession they picked up from last month's resume and took Clarkson, 14-5; Harvard, 9-5; Williams, 8-1; Army, 9-4 and 12-2; St. Nick's, 7-3; and Princeton, 9-3. Important among these are the Clarkson, Army, and St. Nick's wins. Clarkson, because it has always been considered a power in collegiate hockey circles; Army (the second game), because it clinched the Pentagonal title; and St. Nick's, because this team was last year's AAU hockey titlist, and this year's runner-up.
Looking back over the entire season, amazing statistics are unfolded. First of all, of course, the season's record of 22 won, 2 lost, on which is tacked a 19 game winning streak right down to the end of the season. Only teams to defeat the Big Green were Illinois and Colorado College, during the Christmas junket, and both of them were, in turn, beaten by the Indians. One of the 19 games was a 7-2 defeat of BC, breaking a 19-game, two-year streak of the Eagles.
Leading the Pent League in scoring were: (1) Rondeau, (2) Harrison, (g) Riley (despite the fact that he played in but six of the eight games). In eclipsing; completely the old Quad League mark of 17 points, set by Dartmouth's Bud Foster in '39, Rondeau had the amazing output of 20 goals and 20 assists for 40 points. Harrison had 19 goals and 15 assists for 34. Over the total season, Rondeau had 45 goals and 22 assists for 77 points; Harrison, 39 goals and 36 assists for 75 points.
Small wonder, then, Coach Jeremiah says of these three "This line in my opinion is the greatest intercollegiate hockey line of all time."
In one breath, figuratively speaking, we would like to commend the work of the swimming and track teams. Were it not for space limitations we could go on and on about Dartmouth's winter sports prowess. Swimming boasts a record of nine wins and two defeats—by far the best ever hung up in this sport in recent years. This record justly entitled the Indians to third place in the EIL, also the loftiest peak reached by the swimmers in this era. Consistent point-winner was Fred Worthen, sprint and middle-distance star, who ended in a tie for individual honors with Ed Heuber of Penn with 58 points. Worthen is a junior and captain-elect of the squad. Not far behind was senior John Storrs, distance man and anchor-man on the free-style relay team. Captain Jim O'Mara, backstroker, and Bob Carney, diver, both seniors, steady point-winners.
In enlarging his dual meet schedule, Coach Harry Hillman did both the track fans and himself a big favor. Interest in track was considerably heightened this year, and, incidentally, so was the track record. After a close opening loss to Yale, the runners went on to score wins over Bowdoin, Harvard, and New Hampshire. Last of these meets, with UNH, was the best from the spectator angle, although the Green easily won 85-32. Five record-breaking performances were contributed by both teams. For New Hampshire, their one-shoe-off sophomore, A. Richmond Morcom, pole-vaulted to a 13 feet, 8 inch height to break the cage record, and highjumped to 6 feet, 614 inches to smash another cage mark. For Dartmouth, smoothstriding Don Burnham of Lebanon turned in a 4:11.4 mile for a new College and cage mark. Little Paul Hanlon broke his own mark in the 600 with a 1:11.7 time; and Bob Williams clicked around the oval in 2:12.6 for a new record in the 1000 yard run. Of these three Burnham, a sophomore, shows the most promise—many wellqualified outsiders see him at the top of the national mile heap within a year. Williams and Hanlon are both juniors, the former the new indoor IC4A titlist in the 1000.
Signs of things to come are in evidence in the gym these days as the basketball floor has come up in favor of the indoor practises of the football and baseball teams. With the freshman rule in operation for both clubs, it is really hard to get an accurate slant on their prospects. The footballers have ten lettermen available at the present time, but it's a question whether such will be the case next fall. Coach Tesreau, on the other hand, has a stellar group of sophomores to work with, and there is some likelihood of an allsophomore infield starting the season. Bob Mara may move senior veteran Chet Jones out info the outfield and take over the first base spot; Dick Rondeau is considered a strong possibility for second, Bob Callan is almost a sure bet for shortstop, as is Stan Zarod at third.
The outfield has two holdovers returning—Captain Dick Burns and Dix Daniels, with Jones a possible third man. Plenty of depth is available for the catcher's slotveterans John Koslowski, Ted Driscoll and sophomore Jim Averill. Biggest question mark lies in the pitching staff, with only one holdover, Will Gray. Bill Harrison and Snook Hughes, sophomores, will bolster the staff.
Before we close we would like to introduce a six-foot two-inch, 220-pound addition to the Dartmouth coaching fraternity. Name—Ray Riddick. Present occupationend coach of the Dartmouth football team, replacing Bill Bevan who has been called to the armed services. Former occupation—football player of some note with Fordham and Green Bay. Other qualifications—an eminently swell guy.
" with the greatest of ease.."Richard S. Rice '44, Needham, Mass.,worksout on the parallel bars while Pat Kaney lookson with apparent approval.
FINISHING SPRINT AT I.C.4A. GAMES The finish of the 1,000-yard run of the 1.C.4A. indoor track championships at MadisonSquare Garden, March 7, won by Robert E. Williams Jr. '43, in two minutes 15 seconds.
