Cross Country
A disappointing season by Dartmouth's varsity cross-country runners, with only one victory in six meets, is partially offset by the undefeated season produced by the freshman cross-country squad, the first in six years.
Coach Ellie Noyes reports on the season in the "Coaches' Corner" this month, while we record here that since last month the Big Green runners were shut out by a strong Harvard team 15-50, then turned around and downed Boston University by a similar 15-50 score for Dartmouth's only victory of the season. In the Heptagonals Dartmouth finished last.
In the Heptagonals, won by Army with Yale second, the first Big Green runner across was Ed Berkowitz, who placed 37th. Mike Nolen came in 42nd and Bob Becker was 48th as Dartmouth wound up in tenth and last place.
Dartmouth's prospects for 1959 seem brighter by far as Coach Noyes' strong freshman team romped through an undefeated season. The Pea Green runners downed Harvard 19-41, Boston University 21-40 and Mt. Hermon School 22-37 for five straight triumphs. Pacing the Dartmouth freshmen was Tom Laris, who set a new course record for freshmen at Franklin Field against Harvard, and then set a Hanover freshman mark, against Boston University, with a clocking of 13:46.2, which lowered Doug Brew's old time of 15:00.7. Brew's record was also broken by Laris's closest rival — Nick Jennison - who did 14:35.2. Other top freshman runners, all rated good varsity prospects, are Dan Tompkins, Dud Hallagan and Clark Billings.
Another triumph was recorded by the freshman cross-country team as this report went to press. The freshman harriers were entered in the I.C.4-A. Championships and placed third behind Cornell and St. John's. Tom Laris, sensational Big Green runner, took a Gold Medal by winning first place over New York University's 26-year-old John Dugan and set a new Van Cortland Park record in so doing. Nick Jennison finished 19th, Dan Tompkins 37th, Dud Hallagan 40th, Clark Billings 49th and lan Lange 51st for Dartmouth. This was the first time since 1941 that a Dartmouth freshman team had entered the I.C.4-A. competition.
