Cross Country

The entire Ivy League has been served notice that the Big Green cross-country team cannot be taken lightly. On October 13, over a rain-soaked Hanover course, the Indians defeated once mighty Yale and Columbia, 27-30-71. This happened despite the loss of Tom Laris, the Green's best runner, and a win by Bobby Mack of Yale.

Mack crossed the finish line first with a time of 26:21. Right behind him, though, were the Dartmouth trio of Dan Tompkins, Pete Wells, and Nick Jennison. Tompkins completed the 6.68-mile course in 26:41. Stu Hallagan was sixth and Jack Larsen, a sophomore, was twelfth.

The week before at New York, the Green harriers had opened their season against a strong Manhattan team. Laris was leading the field over the five-mile course until forty yards from the finish line when he fell from heat exhaustion. The final score was Manhattan 21, Dartmouth 40. If Laris had finished first, the Green would have shaved the point difference to a margin of seven.

Tompkins was the first Green runner to complete the course and was credited with a third. Wells was fourth and Hallagan tenth. The failure to place more men in the top ten cost the Indians any chance to score a victory, but their showing was creditable against the always strong Jaspers.

With a healthy Laris running again and the team as a whole continuing to show improvement, Coach Ellie Noyes can plan for the future and most particularly the Heptagonals, November 10, with a touch of optimism.