The Washington herald., 1915-12-26
Bushnell Selects the 1915
Champions in College Sports
BY EDWARD R. BUSHNELL

Although in the fields Of eastern in
tercollegiate sports. both Yale and Har-
ward won more team championships
than Cornell. all fair-minded persons
will concede that in the matter of i'm
portant championships and general
standard of excellence in all sports Cor
nell led the whole college world for the
calendar year Of 1915. The four major
sports of football, track athletics, row.
ing and baseball are of more importance
than all the minor sports combined. In
them Cornell won the premier title In
two. football and track athletics. In a
third. rowing. Cornell yields a ques-
tionable championship to Yale, because
in triangular regatta over q two-mile
course the Ellis beat the Ithacans. In
Cornell had an of year and got
a wretched start. which put the Ithacans
out OF the running.
Conceding Yale the championship in
rowing the EDs finished first in one
major and three minor sports and tied
with two other colleges. Pennsylvania
and Columbia. in a fifth. swimming. Har-
ward likewise was first In four sports.
But only one was a major sport. This
was baseball, and awarding the Crimson
first here was largely a matter of opin-
ion. When 1t Is considered that Cor
nell won the football and track cham
outright OF the major sports,
second in a third major sport.
second in cross country and first in
no one can deny the right OF
Cornell to rank at the top.
There may be some difference Of
opinion as to the right of Cornell to be
ranked first in football. The dissenters
all come from Pittsburgh whose team
also went through the season without a
defeat. This throws the subject open
10 debate. The defenders of Cornell can
point to the fact that the Ithacans
played a harder schedule than did Pitts
ourgh. in addition to which they barred
freshmen. Pittsburgh used first year
men. These two points throw the bal
lnce Of the argument in favor of Cor
lell for first place.
Cornell was SO supreme in track and
ield athletics that no other college can
,e compared to the team Jack Moakley
developed at Ithaca. The Ithacans won
Ill their dual meets with ease and in
he ]. c. A. A. A. A. championships
scored almost twice as many other
POINTS as Harvard. whose team finished
'econd. Cornell, however. had one up
vet on the track. for Maine furnished q
zig surprise in the cross country cham
beating out Cornell by q few
,oints. There is no doubt that Cornell
vas overconident, just as was the case
II a dozen years ago when Yale un-
xpectedly won.
Cornell could put up a pretty good ar
;ument in favor Of -claiming the row.
ng championship. The rowing title is
imposed to be awarded to the best four
nile crew in the country. Cornell won
he Poughkeepsie regatta at the four !
nile distance, while Yale likewise beat
or ranking Yale above Cornell is the
act that Yale beat Cornell in q two
nile race in which Princeton was
n added starter. Yale beat Cornell by
arely half boat length. Cornell un-
oubtedly improved greatly between that
lme and the Poughkeepsie race. and at
meeting between the two at the four
nile distance might have resulted diff
erently. The argument in Yale's favor
) by no means conclusive. but in the
bsence Of anything better the title
hould go to Yale.
There was no way to determine be-
ond cavil the baseball championship be-
ause there is no such thing as an In
Baseball Association with q
chedule bringing the leading colleges to-
ether. The minor colleges are elimi-
ated from consideration because they
o not play the same high class oppo-
ents. When a champion is picked as