Evening star., 1930-06-27
|ITHACANS' VICTORY
IS STUNNING UPSET
Syracuse Gives Opposition
as FavoriteS FaiI-Navy
Crew Is Swamped.
BY ALAN GOULD,
Associated Press Sports Editor.

HOUGHKEEPSIE, N. Y, JunC
N.-Cornell once again rule!
the intercollegiate seas.
Cornell has waited II
years to pick up the thread of VIC
tory cut short by the end of Por
Courtney'S regime, and has beer
buffeted about while a new gen.
Grafton of rowing greatness, fea,
turing Washington, Columbia and
the Navy, came along to dominate
the waters.
Yesterday, through the rough watei
and the mist that partially Shrouded the
Hudson, Cornell came back with
startling rush to capture the four-milt
varsity race, defeating eight of the finest
crews the East, Middle West and Fal
West could produce.
With a sophomore, Robert M. Wilson
Of Montclair, N. j., stepping in as Q
substitute to play a Frank MerriweN
role as stroke, Cornell rowed to victory
in one Of the biggest upsets in the his
tory of the regatta. Syracuse turned ur
with almost equal unexpectednesS al
t. only serious challenger while the
highly favored crews of Columbia, the
1929 champions; Washington and the
Navy, each three-time winners, strug'
gled far behind.
Three Lengths to Good.
Cornell whipped Syracuse by good
three lengths as these two old rival
fought 1t out alone in the last mile
Scarcely less surprising was the per-
formance of Massachusetts, Tech, which
set q sensational pace for nearly tive
miles, yielded doggedly to Cornells rush
and still had the stuff 10 finish good
third. M. I. T. was five lengths behind
Syracuse, but in front Of all the pre-
race favorites, as California, Columbia
Washington, Pennsylvania and Wiscon'
sin finished in that order.
Navy, as the climax to the worst aft.
ernoon the sailors have ever experienced
in what is usually their own specia,
element, swamped when within l0t
yards of the finish and went down.
After a brief squirt at the outset the
Sailors never were contenderS. The
river was whipped to unrulineSs by
stiff upstream wind and this, along with
the disturbance caused by a Coast Guart
vessel, contributed to the shipping ol
considerable water by Navy, Columbia
and Washington. So far at least a.
the first three or four places were con,
cerned, no untoward circumstances had
anything to do with the outcome.
Youth Strokes Winners.
Tradition, the coaching of the nev
mentor of Cornell rowing-Jim Wray-+
and the inspiration of brilliant pact
setter in the 19-year-old Wilson al
contributed to Cornell's astonishing trt
umph. Wilson, who became an oars,
man by accident with little previous ex'
perience, was the third man to strokl
Cornells varsity in three races tha
season.
A third-string substitute, he gained
the pivotal seat in the big boat fort
night before the regatta because of thu
illness of his commodore, Hod Shoe
maker. Yet this youngster stroking hi
first big race, rowed with steady conf
dence, rising to every emergency, as III
paced the boat load in which bald,
headed, 29-year-old p. j. McManus al
No. contributed conspicuous support
Cornell captured the junior varsity
Smile race in smashing style, beating
the favored Washington crew by fvl
and half lengths. Syracuse beat Cor,
nells freshman boat by two lengths II
the 2-mile race that opened the regatta
Cornell spread-eagled the jayvee feei
of six entries with Washington, Colum,
bia, Syracuse, Pennsylvania and NavI
finishing in that order. Syracusei
freshmen, in their first winning race d
the year, topped a field of eight, which
showed Cornell, Columbia, Pennsyl
vania, Washington, Navy, Californis
and M. I. T. parading across in thai
sequence.