University of Virginia Library

Cavs Finish Sixth
In ACC Track Meet

By TOM BELL

The injury-ridden Cavalier
cross-country team ran to a
third-place finish in the state meet
last weekend and a sixth in the
ACC Monday, as they closed out
their season.

"They did a remarkable job,"
said coach Lou Onesty yesterday.
"I just couldn't believe it."

The Cavaliers were forced to
compete without the services of top
runners Phil Meyer and Mike Pace,
both out with injuries, but a
number of performers came
through to help the Cavalier cause.

Co-captain Brew Barron led the
Cavaliers in both meets, as he
finished 23rd in the ACC and 12th
in the state.

Following Barron, whose time
was 26:46, in the ACC meet were
Jim Wood at 27:23, Gerry Hart at
27:25 and Co-captain Mike
Decamps at 27:30. Decamps came
in for special praise from Mr.
Onesty who said he "just can't
believe he could do that."

North Carolina shocked Duke to
win the title, 34-36, as the top five
runners shattered the course record
for the N.C. State course in Raleigh
and 26 runners finished under 27
minutes. Duke's Bob Wheeler was
the individual winner with a time of
24:16, 100 yards ahead of UNC's
Reggie McAfee, the runner-up.

The Cavaliers had 159 points for
sixth, 18 behind fifth-place
Clemson, and 40 ahead of last-place
Wake Forest.

"We could probably have
finished third or fourth with Meyer
or Pace," according to Mr. Onesty.
Third place Maryland was way
behind with 87 points.

Meyer was put out by a leg
injury, while Pace is in a cast after
suffering a knee injury in the rain at
Duke on October 15. Meyer tried
to run in the state meet, but Mr.
Onesty decided not to let him run
in the conference meet.

The sixth place finish is the
highest ever for a Cavalier team in
the conference meet, and the team
finished fifth on the season in dual
meet competition.

In Friday's state meet, held at
Bridgewater College, the Cavaliers
finished behind powerful William
and Mary, which ran away with the
meet, and Virginia Tech. Mr.
Onesty believes his team would
have had a good chance for second
with the services of Meyer and
Pace.

"I wouldn't take anything for
what these boys did," concluded
Mr. Onesty.

The runners now move into the
winter track season, but some will
run more cross-country in various
road meets.