With Big Green Teams
Indian Nine Opens 13-Game Schedule for Summer Term; Large Squad Reports to Earl Brown for Football Practice
DARTMOUTH ATHLETIC TEAMS finished the June semester in the same manner in which they began it. That is, they continued their devastating pace in lacrosse, baseball, golf and track, although Jeff Tesreau's nine lost a tie for the Eastern Intercollegiate League championship when rain forced a cancellation of the Pennsylvania double-header.
The two crucial games of the season were played against champion Columbia on Saturday, June 3d, when the best the Indians were able to do was garner a split, winning the first, 6 to 4, behind Carl Meurn's effective five-hitter, and losing the nightcap, 8-3, when Art Young, regular third baseman, was shelled for 17 hits.
As a result of Columbia's two victories over Cornell, the Indians were mathematicary eliminated, although they lost only this one game. Moreover, Chuck Sweeney, hard-hitting first baseman, was unable to win the individual batting crown because he had been at bat only nineteen times. His .464 batting average was more than enough to take the honors.
Coach Tommy Dent's lacrosse ten became the second team to finish their schedule undefeated, as they completely swamped their three remaining opponents, M. I. T„ Williams and Tufts, piling up so points to the opposition's 12.
Dent deserves a great deal 01 credit tor guiding his team through this short undefeated season, since he was faced at the start with 40 inexperienced candidates whom he moulded into a hard-hitting, strong-scoring lacrosse aggregation.
The golf and track teams were not as successful in the remaining half of the season, although Tommy Keane's six-man squad managed to win their two remaining matches with Williams and Camp Endicott, 6-3. Moreover, Dave Weld, Tom McCollow, Joe Davenport, John Bill, Gene Koch and Captain Dick Pringle managed to compile a combined total which enabled them to take a third in the Eastern Collegiate Golf Association championships. .
Harry Hillman's tracksters won their dual meet with Pennsylvania, but the best they could do was take a second in the 10th Heptagonal Games at West Point behind Army. They completely overwhelmed Pennsylvania 83-43, winning 11 out of 15 firsts, as Walter Newman, dependable Cornell transfer doubled in the 100 and 220 yard dash.
Thus the semester ended and with it the first year of the V-12 training program. During this past year, amazing records were turned in, not only by the teams, but by the coaches, and we take this opportunity to review it for you now.
The influx of V-12 trainees bolstered every athletic team, and outstanding coaches—Brown, Tesreau, Hillman, Dent, Arthur, and Weekes—produced outstanding teams, which turned in outstanding performances. The baseball nine, the first to receive the benefits of the new men, won 7 out of its 11 games; the soccer squad won 4 of its 5 matches; cross-country was undefeated; the football eleven lost only one game, that to Pennsylvania 7-6, although it completely outplayed the Red and Blue; the hockey sextet extended its undefeated streak to 41, as a result of seven straight wins; the basketball team turned in a 19-2 record, and just missed copping the NCAA tournament, when Utah defeated it in overtime 44-40; the spring baseball team took eight of its ten games; the lacrosse eleven was also undefeated in six contests; and the track men managed to win their share of meets.
This year will be a different story because the old trainees have left, with a few exceptions, and the new ones are inexperienced, untried, and younger, the majority of whom are fresh out of high school. Jeff Tesreau is again the first to feel the change, just as he was the first to receive the benefits last summer. The entire spring outfield of Jack Sayers, Joe Quig, and Joe Wierschem left for midshipman school, and two infield standouts, Hal Clayton, now participating in football practice, and Chuck Sweeney, were lost. To fill these gaps Tesreau has had to change his men around and use the second team, although several new men reported to him at the start of the summer session. Bob Callan, who played shortstop during the 1943 summer, has returned and is holding down the same position. As a result, Walt Snickenberger has moved over to third base, and Art Young, who pitched and held down the hot corner during the spring, is now receiving the offerings of the pitchers, and appears to be right at home behind the plate. Bob Delano still patrols the keystone sack, but Bob Murphy, a newcomer, is at first, although Aud Brindley, Ail-American basketball center, is giving him stiff competition. The outfield has all new faces and is not as strong at bat. Jack Wannamacher, substitute outfielder, is in left, Vin Destifano, small trainee, is in center, and Tom Killick, who recently got the only two hits off Williams, patrols right field. The pitching staff is stronger, and is led by tall, righthanded Carl Meurn, who won all but one game last semester, although Rudy Rufer, ace intramural flinger, already has one game to his credit.
The nine got off to an auspicious start against Williams when the already mentioned Rufer pitched six-hit ball and Tom Killick batted in three runs to lead the Big Green to a 5-2 win. However, the next day was not as successful, as Meurn was shelled from the mound for the first time. The Crusaders bunched 16 hits to swamp the Indians 12-1, the worst beating that Tesreau has encountered all year.
The remainder of the summer schedule follows: July 22, Boston Coast Guard; 29, Holy Cross; Aug. 5, Colgate; 6, Norton Company; 12, Camp Thomas; 17, Portsmouth Navy Yard Marines; 19, Brown at Providence; 20, Camp Endicott at Davisville; 26, Colgate at Hamilton; 27, Norton Company at Worcester; Sept. 3, Camp Endicott.
HIS LAST VICTORY FOR THE GREEN was chalked up Captain Don Burnham '44, Navy medical student, when he captured the 880-yard run in the 10th annual Heptagonal Games at West Point on June 3. In three years of intercollegiate competition he earned a national reputation and this past year cleaned up the indoor and outdoor mile and half-mile titles. Second-place winner in the 880 above is Frank Fox, Navy V-12 student ot Dartmouth.
