Freshman Crew Finishes Second in National Regatta at Syracuse
THE Dartmouth freshman heavyweight crew, amateurs in the true sense of the word, turned in the top performance in Dartmouth rowing history last month.
Coached by Crossan (Bo) Andersen '65, a pre-med student who was on a leave of absence for the spring term, and contributing $14O apiece for their various expenses during the crew season, the Dartmouth freshman eight finished second in the Intercollegiate Rowing Association's championship regatta at Syracuse.
Only Navy (which swept all three IRA finals that day on Lake Onondaga) edged the Green yearlings in the two-mile race. The Middies had to catch Dartmouth in the final half mile to do it.
There were ten freshman crews trailing the Green, including rowing powers Cornell and Washington which never before had lost to a Dartmouth crew. Best previous Dartmouth finish in an IRA event had been fifth.
While few outsiders gave the Green a chance, Dartmouth varsity coach Pete Gardner had picked his Pea Green to win in a pre-race coaches' poll. He knew the yearlings had beaten M.I.T. by almost six lengths in a practice race in Hanover the week before and had been very close to the Connecticut River course record in other trial spins.
As with most successful crews, Dartmouth's freshman boat was a happy combination of experience and enthusiastic new talent.
Stroke Pat Bremkamp of Oklahoma City was a substitute football tackle last fall who never pulled an oar until the spring vacation session at Kent School. Same with number seven man Bill Ellis from Newton, Mass., and bowman Charles Lenth of Minneapolis.
However, the "engine room" of the crew, from six through two, had more experience than any previous Dartmouth freshman boat. Captain Dave Swift is the son of the Exeter crew coach and Bob Lowd of Salem, Mass., rowed in the first Exeter boat with him. Alex McCarthy had captained his Springfield (Mass.) Classical crew; John Peirce was captain of his St. Mark's eight and Dick Patrick, son of former N.H.L. star and coach Muzz Patrick, had captained his Kent School crew. Add coxswain Jim Burns, a 135-pound former hockey manager at Kent School, and you have Dartmouth's winning combination.
Six oarsmen in the Dartmouth varsity, which finished tenth in the 15-boat varsity final at Syracuse, will be back next season, also. So prospects for Big Green crew are brighter than ever.
One final, interesting note: freshman coach Andersen, who incidentally is president of both Beta and Sphinx, will return to his studies and rowing next year. Bo captained the 1962 Dartmouth freshman boat and rowed at seven and five in the varsity the next two years. Next spring he'll be competing for a varsity job again, competing against members of the freshman crew he coached to that second-place finish in this year's national finals.
BIG GREEN BITS: Catcher Dick Horton of Reading, Mass., was chosen by the Baltimore Orioles organization and pitcher Ted Friel of Pittsfield, Mass., by the St. Louis Cardinals in the first annual professional baseball draft on June 8 .... Horton made the first AllEastern League team for the second straight year; Friel was a second-team choice.... Captain-elect in baseball is shortstop Bill Bower of Ridgewood, N. J.
For the fist time in Dartmouth history four players made the All-Ivy League lacrosse first team. They included Captain John Case of Harrisburg, Pa., on defense; goaltender Brian Walsh of Winchester, Mass.; attackman Lee Mercer of Darien, Conn.; and midfielder J. Bruce McKissock of Wynnewood, Pa. ... Mercer and Walsh were repeat selections, with Walsh also being named to the All-America Lacrosse Third Team. ... Captains-elect for spring teams include defenseman Charles Vernon, West Springfield, Mass., in lacrosse; Dave Goldstein of West Hartford, Conn., in golf; sprinter Dick Rehberg of Sarasota, Fla., in track; Ned Northrup of Englewood, Colo., in heavyweight crew; and Charles Hoeveler of Southport, Conn., in tennis. Hoeveler is a junior.
Freshman rowers who starred in the IRA regatta: (I to r) Pat Bremkamp, stroke;Bill Ellis, 7; Dave Swift, 6; John Peirce, 5; Dick Patrick, 4; Bob Lowd, 3; Alex McCarthy, 2; Charlie Lenth, bow; Jim Burns, coxswain (kneeling).
WORCESTER INVITES YOU "All are welcome" is the word from the Worcester County Dartmouth Club which is hosting a reception after the Dartmouth-Holy Cross football game on October 2. The party will take place at the Holiday Inn, located in downtown Worcester, about a five-minute drive from the Holy Cross stadium.
