Varsity Spring Sports
Coach Tony Lupien's varsity baseball squad returned from their southern junket with a record of four wins and five defeats, but were hampered to some extent by inclement weather. The Indians split a doubleheader with the Norfolk branch of William and Mary, winning the opener 2-0 and dropping the nightcap by a close 1-0 score. A 14-4 loss to North Carolina State and a 9-4 defeat by the University of North Carolina put Dartmouth on the losing side. Then the Big Green split Randolph Macon games with a 9-1 win and a 5-1 defeat. Next the Indians snagged a 5-1 victory over R.P.I, at Quantico, but lost to George Washington 17-5 before winding up with a 5-2 victory over Maryland.
Lupien's hopes this year rest heavily on a strong pitching staff. Veterans Bob Van Dam, Don O'Neill and Dave French all turned in fine performances on the road, while Bill Coates, Robby Cox and Bill Courtney have come along rapidly as hurlers. The all-veteran infield is also strong, with Captain Jerry Foote at first base, Roger McArt at second, Barry Elson at short, Mike Nyquist at third, and Jim Murar handling the catching duties. The hitting power is in the outfield, composed of Ernie Torres, Bill Quirk and Carl Jaeger.
In the only full game of an abbreviated spring trip the Big Green lacrosse team, under new coach Whitey Burnham, was defeated by Baltimore, 14-6. This was a strong showing by Dartmouth as it was the first game for the Indians and Baltimore is ranked third nationally. In four scrimmage games that followed, the Indians defeated Delaware, Swarthmore and Wesleyan, and lost to a strong Rutgers team.
This past week the lacrosse team met its first regular opponent, Holy Cross, and came away with an encouraging 14-5 victory. Dartmouth's high-scoring attack line did very well with Pat Walsh getting six goals and one assist, while John Walters garnered two goals and three assists, and the third member of the attack trio, Dave McEacron, had two goals and two assists. The Indians have two strong midfield units with Fred Cook, Terry Rogers and Al Rozycki teaming up on the first unit, and Mike Slive, Ernie Weymuller and Bill King on the" second. Captain Pete Sly, rated by Burnham as "the best defenseman in the league," teams up with Jack Gillespie and Ed Boies on defense, while Steve Rotter has worked out well in the nets. Looks like a good lacrosse year!
Watch for a big spring on the tennis front. Coach Red Hoehn hails this year's team "as the best in twenty-three years." The team lost its opening match of the spring trip to Miami, 8-1, but this was Miami's 75th consecutive victory and they are generally regarded as the strongest team in the nation. After that the Indians had an easier time, downing North Carolina 7-2 and 8-1 and polishing off Navy, in the first league match, by a 7-2 score. Playing number one for the Indians is Captain Ron Picket, who on his good days can beat almost any collegiate player in the nation. Jim Biggs, Gordy Aydelott and Phil Meyer - seeded second, third and fourth - are also veteran players of real ability, while Larry Holden, Dave Smoyer and Doug Flowers, who round out the varsity, are well above average. With any sort of weather and a few breaks this team could well go undefeated in league play.
Veteran golf coach Tommy Keane faces a rebuilding year with only two lettermen and six sophomores on his current squad. The Big Green golfers got in only four matches on their spring trip - winning over Randolph-Macon 6-3 and over George Washington 5½-3½ and losing to North Carolina State 20½-3½ and to Navy at Annapolis 6-1.
Captain Dave Lashar, playing number one, and Kent Graham, a junior, are the only veterans and both played well on the trip. Sophomores Bill Gifford, Al McCray, Jim Wendell, Dave McCollum, Dave Mankowski and Lee Terwilliger all show promise but need a great deal more seasoning before they will be effective golfers of varsity caliber.
Dartmouth track coach Ellie Noyes leads his squad outdoors sometime this month (when the weather clears) and should have a good spring - at least on the basis of the winter results. Noyes reports he will have a stronger and better balanced dual-meet squad, and the Indians should win all of their dual meets. However, the triangular meet against Harvard and Brown is another matter, and in the Heptagonals, Penn Relays and IC4A meet the Big Green is expected to do respectably but no more. Yale rates as the strongest team in the East this spring.
Dartmouth's strength in track lies in the dash, distance events and hurdles, with some solid dual-meet candidates in the middle-distance events and in all field events with the exception of the shot put and broad jump.
Several new Dartmouth records may be established this year with sophomore Gerry Ashworth and senior Bill Zeilman both strong in the dashes, while John Knight and John Ebers have good chances for records in the hurdles. Either Nick Jennison or Tom Laris could cut Don Burnham's mile record of 4:10.6 set in 1944. Laris also has a good chance to set a new two-mile record. The Big Green's record-holding discus thrower, George Ramming, is in top condition and may well break his own mark in this event, while Captain Gregg Millett is strong in the pole vault.
Heavyweight coach Pete Gardner reports his crews are coming along but need a lot more work if they are to do well this spring. Gardner has seven men back in his varsity heavyweight boat, including senior co-captains Reed Ambler at number four and Eric Foster at number five. Stroking the boat is junior Dave Gundy, while other lettermen include John Lamar, Bill Quay, Bill Beck and coxswain Dave Haist. Sophomore Bob Henderson and senior Bob Hamilton are the new bow pair on the crew.
The 150-pound crew this spring will be coached by an undergraduate, Bill Farrens '61 who rowed number five last year, and is captained by Tom Russell. The tentative varsity boating has John Damon at stroke, with Ken Jones, Day Mount, Tom Russell, Dan Hadlock, Bill O'Keefe, Butch Small and Denny Deniston in that order, and Dave Dawley as coxswain. Only two lettermen, Captain Russell and Butch Small, are in the boating and the crew is regarded as strong but inexperienced.
Traditionally one of the strongest rugby clubs in the nation, the Big Green team is again expected to be in contention for Eastern rugby honors this spring. Forward John Edwards, high-scoring wing Tom Conger, John Huber and Don McKinnon are all seasoned veterans. They will be aided by such Big Green football stalwarts as Jack Kinderdine, Jim McElhinney, Mike Mooney and Gary Spiess. Bad weather and soggy playing fields have hampered practice sessions to date, but all reports indicate another fine rugby season ahead.
Coach Whitey Burnham talks things over with the seniors on the 1961 lacrosse team. Kneelingis Al Rozycki, while standing (l to r) are Jake Gillespie, captain Pete Sly, Terry Rogers andPat Walsh. The team opened the current season by beating Holy Cross and UNH.
A winning season is predicted for the Big Green tennis team, one of the strongest in someyears. The members of this year's team with Coach Red Hoehn are (l to r) Doug Floren, DaveSmoyer, Gordon Aydelotte, Larry Holden, Jim Biggs, Ron Picket, and Phil Myers.
