New-York tribune., 1918-04-26
Army and Navy Day Marks
Opening of Great Cham
pionship Meet

PHILADELPHIA, April 25.-Mcn in
the centre Of the stage in the opening
day festivities of track and field events
of the University of Pennsylvania's an
nual relay carnival, which begins on
Franklin Field here tomorrow
While races for schoolboys make UP
the greater part of the programme, the
competition between the khaki and
navy blue boys, intercollegiate relay
championships and American pentath-
Ion College championship will arouse
the greatest interest.
When the first shot Of the starters
pistol is fired the incident will mark
the greatest entry ever received for
the meet. The officials have passed
upon the application Of over four hun
dred teams. In addition hundreds of
individual athletes will compete. This
showing is remarkable in view of the
fact that the athletes of America hav.
answered this country's call in large
numbers.
The first day of the meet has been
termed Army and Navy Day, and con-
testants in the various races will rep
resent many service training stations
in the East and others as far West as
Chicago. Besides the foot races the
enlisted men will engage in bayonet
charge competition, bugle competition,
hand grenade throwing, wall scaling,
rescue race and other features.
Service Teams Are Fast
With a host of Americas best ath-
letes now in military and naval sta
tlons it is reasonable to believe that
the competition between the service
teams will be of high order. The
principal events will be the relay
championships, which have attracted,
unusually large fields of teams.
In the one-mile relay race, the COM
bination from Camp Dix, which num-
bers among its runners Howard Berry,
the former Penn star, will be ready
to put up big fight. The southern
New Jersey camp men have repeatedly
shown their calibre in local races by
defeating the pick of club runners.
Berry will be supported by three other
fast athletes, who can cover the quar-
ter-mile stretch in close to the 50-se.
ond mark.
The contesting of the pentathlon may
see a new champion crowned. This
oPeCiaiIy was iilduSuTateQ IN 1SlO, and
tor three years was captured by Berry
The test comprises, in order, the run
ming broad jump, javelin, 2OO-metre
run, discus and 1,5OO-mctre run. Berry
holds the record for this five-event
contest Of five points, which is the
result of winning first place in each
competition in the 1916 meet.
Two Are Favorites
In previous years the fields to enter
upon this endurance journey have been
small, but tomorrow there will be
sixteen starters. Many of the entrants
have long been in training. Gilfallin,
OF Notre Dame, and Hammond, of
Sewanee, are recognized as the favor
ties tor the title. However, a number
OF other contestants have proved them
selves all-around athletes, and it would
not be surprising to see the winner
emerge champion by the small mar
gin OF one or two points.
Others named to start in the penta-
thlon are Shea, of Dartmouth; Witt
pen and Robson, of Rutgers; Bechtel,
of Lafayette, and Demming and Wolf,
of Penn State.
Chicago, Penn State and Michigan
will bear watching in the college relay
championship races. The Windy CITY
runners were prominent in the Drake
University meet last Saturday and are
favorites for the maj ajority of the titles.