Weather, Minutemen Mar Thinclads' Outdoor Debut

Freezing cold, a strong wind, and an even stronger group of UMass distance runners combined to hand the Harvard women's track team a 72-55 loss Saturday in Springfield, in a meet that was closer than the score indicates.

Despite setting five new University outdoor records during the meet. Harvard trailed the Minutemen, 59-54, going into the last two events, the two-mile and the mile relay.

But that's when the fireworks began. UMass placed its ace milers, Judy Contini and Tina Francario, into the two-mile and was rewarded with a 1-2 finish and victory in the meet.

Harvard's Kat Taylor shaved nearly 33 seconds off her own University record in that race but could only manage a third-place finish behind Contini.

"I thought that the girls did very well. I was pleased, and quite frankly surprised at their performance," coach Pappy Hunt said yesterday.

"It was a miserable day for a track meet. It was our first outdoor meet and UMass's second. Besides, we haven't been able to practice outdoors yet," he said.

Starting Fresh

Besides Taylor's strong finish. Hunt got record-breaking performances in four other events. Freshman Kim Johnson won both the discus and the shotput with tosses of 101-ft., 8 1/2-in., and 42-ft., 10 1/4-in. respectively, en route to setting two new University records.

Teammates Sue Hewitt and Liane Rozzell tied for the runnerup spot, high jumping to a new Harvard mark of 5-ft. 2-in. Half miler and co-captain Sarah Linsley captured second place in her event while setting another school record of 2:23.

Hunt also got first-place finishes from Kathy Rice in the long jump and Sue Harper in the 440 intermediate hurdles.

The thinclads will face Yale next Saturday at home in their second meet of the season.