The Washington herald., 1917-03-02
Record Breaking Crowd Ex.
pected to Attend Hatch
elite Indoor Meet.

With the stage set, the athletes gathered
and every indication Of an immense turn
ing out OF spectators, everything IL in
readiness for the opening tonight at Con-
vention Hall Of the ninth annual indoor
i track meet Of the George Washington Uni
versity.
The minutest Of details have been at
| tended to and the oficials Of the affair
are impatiently awaiting the opening hour.
Every indication points to the games be-
ing the most successful ever conducted
under the auspices of the Buff and Blue
track management. More than 400 en-
tries will participate, four big South At
lartic intercollegiate championship events
are scheduled. and twelve well-matched
and intensely interesting relays are fea-
tured.
The majority of those athletes from out
of-town institutions began to arrive last
night, and those who failed to put In an
appearance yesterday will reach this city
this morning.
The ticket sale has ben one of the larg-
est ever conducted for q Hatchetite meet
and It is anticipated that the attendance
tonight will set a record for an event
Of this kind. Baltimore will send a large
delegation to root for the Monumental
athletes who are entered.
The main feature. or rather one Of
the many main features, will be the ap-
pearance Of the Lafayette squad. Lafay-
cite tonight is making her initial appear
ance in an athletic contest held In the
National Capital. The relay team. the
final selection OF which has as yet not
been made. will in all probability be COM
posed Of Charlie Cowley, former Boston
A. A. half-miIer: Dick Bechtle. point win
ner in the Middle Atlantic collegiate
Quartet mile, and Fred Hill, q promising
1 AN n
coaching the Lafayette track squad. 10
undecided who the fourth man will be.
In the dashes, Capt. Ripper Evans and
Ralph Prout will represent the Bethle-
hem college. Prout won third place In
the New England A. U. hundred last sum-
mer and Evans won second place In the
Middle States broad jump and finished
second In the hundred.
1t may be OF interest to know that
in 1913 and 1914. the Lafayette track
SQUAD won the Middle States intercolle-
giate championship. and in the past two
years they have been the runners-up.
losing last years championship by one
point and the year before by three
points. Bruce, who Is coaching the Penn
sylvanians, has been with them for nine
years. and his record In that time COM
psres favorably with that Of any track
coach in the country.
AnOIner 1edtur6 tHdI VIII uoio hioic
than its share Of local interest will be
the two-mle South Atlantic intercollc-
giate relay. In this event George Wash
ington. Maryland State. Georgetown
Catholic University. Johns Hopkins and
Virginia will face the starter.
Practically the entire student body and
faculty Of George Washington University
will attend. The students have been
practicing organized cheering for several
weeks and they expect to give the Hatch
elite athletes lusty support as far az
vocal exertion goes.
The athletic association Of the Univer-
sity OF Virginia has notified every men,
her OF the alumni in Washington, urg-
ing them to be present and root for
the Orange and Blue entries. Although
Georgetown and Virginia are not on anJ
too friendly terms, from an ATHLETIC
standpoint. they will clash In the two
mile South Atlantic relay. The rivalry
in this event will be intense and the
race sholld prove one Of the most in
teresting OF the meet.
Convention Hall has been placed In
gala attire for the meet. The big audit
orium has been decorated with flags,
pennants and bunting. and the floor has
been put into excellent condition for the
athletes.