The Washington times., 1923-01-07
NAVY CLAIMS
LEAD HONORS
IN SIX SPORTS

gymnastics, Fencing, and
Water Polo Find Middies on
Top.
sssss
BY HUGH Il. RILEY.
NNAPoLIs, Jan. S.DurIns
the year just past, Naval
academy teams in six sports
have taken the leading positions
aEncng the representatives of the
COLLEGES along these lines. In most
cases. the supremacy has been gen.
orally conceded TO the midshipmen,
undertaken to pick the leaders
hsna, apparently, overlooked the
local record.
First place is claimed by the
naiFshipmen in rowing, lacrosse,
Wrestling. gymnastics, fencing. and
water polo. In boxing, it was UNI
defeated. but the Military Acad-
envy team also went through the
season without a break in its string
of-- triumpls, and the. leadership
must rest equally upon the serv-
Ice representatives
40 one questions the leader
sh1b OF the Naval Academy in
foNfng It's crew won at Pough-
ksspsie the greatest race ever
roEed on that historic course. in
which five of the six contending
crews covered the distance In less
than the previous record. which
happened to have beem made BY
the znidshipmen the previous year.
They won all their other races,
alsqs including the race with Har.
v6rQ ana Princeton. at Cambridge,
and the American Henley.
In gymnastics and fencing, the
nfet place is also unassailable
Tie Naval representatives COM
tended in the ampfonship tour
pAuIenf OF both the intercollegiate
OPTIMISTIC Association and the In
tereotlegiate Fencing Association,
and were OVERWHELMING vicfors.
These bodies. unlike some others
which undertake to control Ger.
ts lines Of college sports, vel
CONE all entries from the col
letes. 30 that their finals are really
desiaive OF the honors Tor the
Some claim for lacrosse honors
were put forth by Syracuse, which,
Hike the naidshfpmen, had clean
nleet throughout the season. Sy-
EaeMse, however; did not have so
hap& schedule as the Navy, and
dldi5knot win so overwhelmingly
from its opponents.
PLAYED EIGHT GAMES.
Playing eight games. against the
strongest opponents ii could secure,
the Navy won all and scored so
points to by an Of its opponents.
Syracuse did not play the Navy.
bur the Annapolitans have been
easy victors In previous games.
Therefore, II Is claimed, the leader
ship in this game, won by the
Naval Academy regularly in re-
cent years. has not been disturbed.
There has also been some mis-
apprehension as to the result Of
the wrestling season, but the
Naval Academy has easily made |
good its claim TO the leading posi- |
ton. Cornell was declared the |
winner OF the finals Of the Inter
collegiate Wrestling Association, |
but this has but slight bearing on
actual intercollegiate honora This
association has steadily refused the
entry of the Naval Academy, with
out giving any plausible reason
other than the strength Of the
Naval teams.
As q matter of fact, the record
Of the Naval Academy Wrestling
Association last year was the best
that any college wrestling team
ever achieved. It met eight OPP
ponents, including all the strong |
college teams Of the East except |
Cornell, making a total Of fifty-sIx |
bouts. OF which the Naval contend |
ers won fifty-three. This record
has never been approached by a |
Of by the fact that it lost in q |
dual match to Pennsylvania State. |
the later team losing to the Naval /
Academy by six bouts to one.
TOOK FIRST PLACE.
Water polo is the last OF the
sports in which the midshipmen |
took q clear first place. Princeton |
has been the leader I'm this sport |
for many years, but was beaten by |
the midshipmen by % to 20. 1t |
has ignored this defeat, and some |
Of the sport writer's continue to
give them the leading position. /
No one has ever attempted to ex-
plain how they can be ranked |
above the midshipmen when de- |
feated by them. The Naval team |
offered to play at Princeton this |
year, but their offer was not &C.
cepted.
The Naval and Military Acad.
envy boxing teams were the only |
indicated college teams, and did |
not meet each other. The Cadets |
won more decisively against Penn |
State than did the midshipmen, but |
the Midshipmen, then at their best, |
they met no team 50 strong as |
the An-Canadian aggregation which |
the midshipmen, then at their best, |
defeated by five bouts to two. |
Honors can, therefore, be consid- |
cred as even. It has been an
nounced that the Naval team will |
meet the West Pointers any time
the latter are willing.
In every other sport the Navy |
has achieved a creditable standing. |
For instance. in swimming, II was
second to Yale, while in football. |
baseball and basketball, 1t ranked |
high, though not at the very top.
The policy at the Naval Academy
IL to aim for the very top and
to try conclusions with the best.
In line with this policy, the mid.
shipmen VIII during the coming
year meet Princeton in football.
Cornell in wrestling and Yale in