PAGE SIX
ith To Battle MacM
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Between
The Lions
WITH DICK PETERS
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Headline Story
Four years have rolled by since
a. spindly-legged freshman report
ad for his first cross country trial
Monday, that young man, still
spindly-legged, but now a senior,
will make his last run over inter
collegiate hills and dales. We let
Collegian headlines of the past
four years tell you the story of
Willy The Wabbit Smith, who
winds up his x-country career in
the IC4-A meet Monday:
'Smith-Olexy Exchange Marked
Hares Season.' (Headline in Col
legian, following Smith's freshman
season, in which he went unde
feated and won the freshmen
IC4-A crown. Pete Olexy, Lion
harrier ace, was just graduating,
and Smith was coming along to
take his place.)
"Harriers Upset Jaspers As Bill
Smith Sets Pace." (Following
Smitty's first varsity race in his
sophomore year.)
"Smith Sets Record As Harriers
Wallop Lehigh." (His second var
sity a ttemp t).
"Smith Sets Record As Lion
Harriers Down Syracuse." (Third
varsity run.) .
"Smith Breaks Third Record."
(His fourth varsity race against
Pitt.)
• "Smith Winner By 200 Yards,
Sensational Penn State Sophomore
Captures IC4-A Championship."
tThe climax to The Wabbit's soph
omore campaign.)
"Bill 'Smith Loses." (Bob Fehr,
Michigan State harrier,• upset the
Lion ace over a four-mile run.
Smith, however, is yet to be licked
in dual competition over the regu
lation five-mile course.)
"Smith Tops Course Record,
Wins Meet." (Against Syracuse in
his third junior year match.)
"Smith Places First As 3 Lions
Set Beit Times." (Against Pitt last
year.)
"Smith Loses IC4-A Title: Stitch
In Side Hampers Billy In New
York Run." (A tough break in
winding up his second varsity
year.)
"Smith Shatters Record In His
Last Dual Race." (The story to
date, after an all-victorious senior
campaign this fall.)
So, at the writing, Billy Smith
is awaiting his last curtain call for
Penn State x-country fame, the
IC4-A's in New York Monday. He's
been pointing to it all year.
We'll let him write his own
headline for next Tuesday's Col
legian.
Seven Lion Frosh Enter
1(4-A Cross , :Country Meef
Seven members of the undefeat
ed freshman cross-country team
will compete, in the IC4-A -fresh
man cross-country meet in New
York Monday.
Freshmen making the New York
trip are Tink Candy, Charles
Hobbs, Curt Stone, Bob Hazel, Bob
Faloon, Jerry Eno, and Dick Cress
man.
NOTICE!
•
The road to. Bellefonte is now open via the old
route through Lemont and On to Pleasant Gap
and Bellefonte. This information is given to
you through the courtesy of your cordial host,
The Hotel Markland.. For fun in the nautical
style visit the S. S. Marklam,. The only pass
port necessary is your matriculation card.
HOTEL MARKLAND
BELLEFONTE, PA.
NYU Runner Promises
To Succeed Cunningham
Hailed by Glenn Cunningham as
"the runner to do the four-minute
mile," Les Mac Mitchell, last year's
NYU IC4-A champion will be rid
ing the crest as favorite in the
IC4-A harrier championships Mon
day. k
Mac Mitchell is +he exception to
the rule .that milers never make
good cross-country runners. He is
the only famous harrier since
John Paul Jones who can run the
mile better than 4:14 minutes.
Never beaten, Mac Mitchell was
called the "wonder boy" of high
school track. He broke the na
tional mile record for high schools
in 4:21 and showed his track ver
satility by winning the 880 and
1000-yard runs. Still in high
school, he trained with Glenn Cun
ningham and other famous milers.
Big and strong-winded, he swept
the college IC4-A titles in the in
door mile, outdoor mile, and
cross-country, arid set a new Van
Cortland Park record this year
when he speeded to a 26:22 minute
mark.
The NI U speed merchant is
noted for his gaining ground dur
ing the first three miles of his har
rier duels and then striking a two
mile steady pace to the tape. On
the other hand, the Lion's Bill
Smith runs his races like a Paavo
Nurmi, timing his miles like
clockwork.'
Monday's duel may threaten to
upset •both plans of Mac Mitchell
and Smith as creain,of-the-crop
competitors from all points of the
nation may not coilcecle the prob
ability of a grudge race between
the Nittany and NYU leaders.
Smith Bares Reason
For Harrier Success
During four years of sensational
running for the Nittany harrier
team, Captain Bill Smith has nev
er betrayed the secret of his rec
ord-breaking triumphs. But now,
on the verge of his last IC4-A race,
he has come through.
Smith blossomed into the great
est record-sinasher Penn State has
ever claimed as her own, after an
uneventful career as a mediocre
high school runner.
Even in his first freshman work
outs, the spindly-legged Smith was
not counted on as a winner, but
his development theredfter was
phenomenal.
The reason for his vast improve
ment? "Simply, Penn State spir
it," Smith contends.
"I never had a word of encour
agement from my high school
coach or knew what school spirit
could mean,"__Smith says. "But,
here at Penn State. I have had in
terest shown by my . coach, frater
nity brothers, and classmates.
"The more I work under Coach
Chick Werner," Smith concluded,
"the more I realize how great a
coach he is. He and Pete Olexy
spent hours in teaching me all I
know about cross-country and
building up my running tech
nique."
THE DAILY COLLEGIAN
tchell For IC4-A Harr
A s
" ,
Captain Bill Smith, 1938 IC-4A harrier champ and holder of many
course records, will set out across Van Cortland Park's cross-country
course in quest of his second title in Monday's IC4-A. champion Ship
run. NYU's Les Mac Mitchell, last year's winner, is conceded a slight
favorite over Smith.
Lion Cross-Country Squad
Strengthened For 1(4-A's
Strengthened by the- - improved
running of Chet Snyder and the
addition of Al Bourgerie, the Nit
tany Lion cross-country team will
be prepared to stack up against
the nation's leading harrier squads
at the IC4-A championship race
Monday.
Snyder and •Pop Thiel, two Lion
harriers -who never competed in a
high school cross-country meet,
Bourgerie, and Vern Kotz will be
counted on to support Captain Bill
Smith in stealing harrier honors
away from such opponents as Man
hattan; Pitt, Syracuse; Cornell,
Princeton, and other eastern and
western squads.
Frank BUrkhart and Dusty
Rhodes are the other additions to
the INittany Lion trip to New. York.
Both harriers made the varsity
team this year.
Promise of a keener competition
between harrier teams has been
indicated by the close scores that
leading cross-country teams have
tallied this year.
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Call
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Eddie Casey, former great Har
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A PERSONAL GIFT
YOUR PORTRAIT
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Penn Slate Photo Shop
214 East College Ave. State College, Pa.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1940
er Honors :Monday
Another .star it Nittany Lion
athletic history will reach the ze
nith of his career_ when Captain
Bill Smith,- Penn State's leading
harrier for four years,_race against
a favored Les Mac Mitchell in the
IC4-A's over New York's Van
Cortland Park course Monday.
Seeking revenge victory over
the rangy Mac Mitchell, who wrest
ed the title from him last year iii
26:31 minutes, the little Nittany
captain plans to make -good. in his
last chance to outrun the NYU
harrier.
Mediocre in mile El n d two-mile
runs, Smith is a dyed-in-the-wool
cross-country runncr. A distance
plugger, who dotes cn -hills, he
has offered a harrier career . that
is incomparable to any of the na
tion's other cross-country leaders.
"Mysterious Billy" has smashed
a five-Mile record on every course
he has competed. Defeated only '
twice in his life, by Mac Mitchell
and Bob Fehr in a , special four
mile contest last year ; Smith has
copped 14 out of 15 dual meets.
Hitting a new high in cross
country fame, the Nittany captain
set a new precedent by flashing
for a new record in each fresh
man and sophomore meet, includ
ing two IC4-A championships. His
1938 time of 26:33 minutes broke
the varsity IC4-A mark.
In his 1938 Syracuse dtfal meet,
the slender Nittany runner broke
the Penn State course record -in
25:25 minutes , considered by au
thorities as one of the fastest har
rier races ever run. No one has
come near this Nittany course
mark, Smith holding the next best
time at 26:23.
Last year, bedause of ' a 'Minor
stomach ailment and a few bad
breaks,. Bill Smith slumpkt when .
he lost his only.two races to Mai.-
Mitchell and Fehr. This season,
however, he has come back strong
er than ever, bursting the tape ai
least 300 yards against Michigan
State, Syracuse, IVlanhattap, and,
Pitt runers.. •
Monday's IC4-A battle will be
another great dliel which comes
only.once in a deimde. As for the
winner being a slender hill-plod
der like Smith or a brawny cylin
der of perpetual motion like Mac-
MitChen, only time will tell, and
probaby record time at that.
Smoky Joe, Negro trainer at
NOrth Carolina State for many
years, has thrown away his rah- -
bit's foot and acquired a fox's foot
as a luck charm. •
Let's get acquainted ! -
Step in and have a .cup
of our delicious
- NriTLE's
HOT CHOCOLATE
Served From Our
mperature-Controlled. • Sc .CUP
CHOCOLATOR
REA & DERICK'S
Next to Bank Clock
Nittany Captain Set
For NYU Harrier Ace