University of Virginia Library

Trackmen Take Fourth In State

By Mike DeCamps
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

William and Mary and Virginia
Tech had their annual Indian and
Turkey fight for the state track title
Tuesday, but before it was all over
on Tech's rain-soaked track, Virginia's
thinclads had a lot to say
about who was champion. The
Cavaliers continually thwarted William
and Mary's chances to overcome
a Tech lead, that at one time
was an amazing 28 points, while at
the same time blocking Tech's
hopes of pulling away.

In the end, it took the last
event, the pole vault, an event in
which Virginia had no finalists, for
William and Mary to come from
behind for a narrow 84-82 victory.

"That's the hard way to do it,"
William and Mary coach John
Randolph said, with a sigh of relief.
"We really snuck in the back door."

The Indians needed a 1-2-3
finish in the pole vault to overcome
an 82-69 deficit, and got more than
they needed when Chris Harvey got
the Indian squad a fourth place
also. Dan Henneberg, the Indians
star vaulter, took the event at
15′2″.

Virginia's harriers took fourth
place overall out of the fourteen
teams entered, right behind Norfolk
State, a team loaded with sprinters
and jumpers. But late in the
afternoon as William and Mary
coach Randolph was getting a little
hot under his green and yellow
collar, Virginia runners were giving
Indian runners all they could
handle.

In the steeplechase Cavalier
distance ace Phil Meyer outdistanced
two Indian runners to take
second behind Tech's Merie Velotto
who put on outstanding performances
twice during the day.
Meyer's time was a swift 9:28.4,
bettering the old school record by
more than twenty-five seconds.

When Velotto ran a second time
another Cavalier distance ace
finished behind him, again outdistancing
William and Mary boys.
This time Rick Katz set a school
record with a 14.43.4 clocking in
the three mile.

Meanwhile in the javelin, Mike
Wilkes was giving Indian freshmen
Bruce Daniels all the competition
he needed. Daniels eventually took
first with a 202′1″ throw while
Wilkes got second at 193′7″.

Another Cavalier second place
was scored in the morning when Al
Sinesky took a second in the shot
to Tech's Ben Sedgewick. Sinesky's
toss was 53′5″ while Sedgewick
won at 54′7″.

In the broad jump, also completed
in the morning, Jim Shannon
captured third place without a
whole lot of warm-up time. Shannon
was a little unhappy with his
22′7″ jump, far below his season
high of 23′10″ that leads the
conference.

Quarter-miler Johnny Morris ran
two splendid 440s to help the
Cavaliers take eight more points.
Morris ran second to Virginia
State's Ken Logan in the open
quarter with a time of 48.5. In the
mile relay he came from behind in
the anchor leg to nip William and
Mary for second with a blistering
47.3 leg.

Virginia's final points of the day
were scored in the 440 yard relay in
which the Cavaliers took fourth
with a team composed of Bob
Niles, Jim Shannon, Dave Smith,
and Johnny Morris.