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ATHLETICS 



IN THE WAKE OF THE CREWS. 



Cornell's crew victory at Poughkcepsie in 

 the 'Varsity and Freshman races, and the 

 hard contest she gave Syracuse in the four- 

 oared race, entitles her to first rank in the 

 intercollegiate rowing to surmount and com- 

 plete her triumph on the track. 



Yale's victory in baseball, and her joint 

 honors with Pennsylvania in football, places 

 her with Cornell as making the best show- 

 ing of the year. Both colleges thus won 

 one expected and one unexpected victory. 

 Taking all in all, Yale's record is rather 

 the better of the two. 



The result of Poughkeepsie was about 

 what was anticipated by those who had fol- 

 lowed the crews closest in their preliminary 

 training. Cornell's success at Cambridge and 

 at Philadelphia indicated clearly the posses- 

 sion of unusual strength in both the 'Varsity 

 and Freshman shells. Her crews were de- 

 cidedly better than last year, though hardly 

 so good as the year before. 



Syracuse, on the strength of her victory 

 last year, was well regarded by the general 

 public. Nothing that was shown by her in 

 either race deserves as high consideration as 

 she received. With practically the winning 

 eight of last year intact, 'there was reason 

 to expect her to make a better showing. The 

 men had the greater experience to aid them 

 and rowed more smoothly and in better form 

 inboard and outboard. Her failure to beat 

 Cornell seems to indicate that her victory last 

 year was due to the comparative inferiority 

 of Cornell rather than to her own superiority. 

 It tends also to prove that Courtney's ideas 

 of rowing are better, in that they are more 

 finished than Ten Eyck's, although this should 

 not be construed as discrediting in any way 

 the excellence and capability of the Syracuse 

 coach. It is probable that, given rough ma- 

 terial of equal strength, these two men, in a 

 single year, would turn out boats of nearly 

 equal strength. The Courtney crew would 

 be more finished and the Ten Eyck eight 

 probably more powerful. A second year's 

 training and thereafter the Cornell crew 

 would advance beyond the Ten Eyck . aggre- 

 gation, decidedly. 



Cornell's easy victory. 

 It is just this difference that makes the 

 Cornell and Syracuse combinations at Pough- 

 keepsie, although the advantage in experience 



was rather with the latter. Cornell won 

 easily by two hundred and fifty yards or 

 more, finishing one minute and ten seconds 

 ahead of their rivals. The comparatively 

 slow time, viewed in the light of previous 

 records, means nothing, as conditions at 

 Poughkeepsie vary so largely, depending upon 

 the strength of the tide, as to render com- 

 parison impossible. The other crews in the 

 race figured only relatively, and to all intents 

 and purposes might as well have been con- 

 testing in a different regatta. Georgetown 

 led Columbia at the finish, with Pennsylvania 

 far ahead of Wisconsin. 



This is about the order that should have 

 been expected on the comparative showings 

 of the three crews that rowed against An- 

 napolis. The question was, how much each 

 would improve in the time elapsed between 

 the races on the Severn and the Hudson. 



In the Freshmen's race the same conditions 

 existed, Cornell leading Syracuse decidedly, 

 in the shorter distance, with Columbia and 

 Pennsylvania in the same relative order. 



In the four-oared contest, although Syra- 

 cuse won from Cornell by the narrow mar- 

 gin of half a length, -it is questionable wheth- 

 er she was entitled to her honors. First of 

 all she interfered with the Columbia crew 

 just after the start, and severely handicapped 

 the New Yorkers. For this, had Columbia 

 made the claim it would have been just and 

 proper had Syracuse been disqualified. Since 

 no claim was made, however, nothing re- 

 mained but to place the boats in the order 

 in which they finished. 



There was, to complicate matters, a mixing 

 up of the identities of the leading boats, which 

 led many to believe that Cornell had finished 

 in front. 



Pennsylvania's defeat of Columbia was, in 

 a measure, due to the handicap which the 

 Blue and White suffered. Wisconsin trailed 

 as she had in the 'Varsity race. 



Taken all in all, Cornell must be consid- 

 ered in a class by herself as far as rowing 

 is concerned, with Syracuse the only college 

 able to give her a contest. Yale ranks supe- 

 rior to Harvard, and it is a question wheth- 

 er all three, Pennsylvania, Columbia and 

 Georgetown, are not this vear at least equal 

 to both, with Wisconsin far behind the lot. 

 It must be borne in mind, however, that Wis- 

 consin had hard luck in having a long trip 

 East, from which, on account of the rough 



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