Evening star., 1946-05-12
Strong. Finish Beats
Off Runnerup Navy;
Columbia Is Third
By Lewis F. Atchison

BY Lewis +. AtchIson
ANNAPOLIS, Md, May 11.-Allen
Walz had his revenge here today as
Wisconsin's statuesque crew out
stroked the class of green field in
winning the Eastern Association of
Rowing Colleges championship, the
years biggest affair of its kind. 1t
was the Badgers first crew title of
any description. The winning time
for the mile and three-quarters was
s:124s.
The laugh was on Walz a few short
years ago when the youthful blade
mentor, then at Manhattan, saw his
crew bow to a Miami (Fla) Univer-
sity eight with girl, Sally Stern,
powdering her nose in the coxswain's
seat. Crimson checked Walz, who
never pulled an oar, officially, until
after graduation from New York
University, quietly handed in his
resignation and left. 1t was huge
joke on him.
But the boys laughed on the other
side of their faces yesterday while
watching the Badger blades sweep
ing up the unsettled sepia Severn.
Never did the Walz workmen let
their beat fall below IS strokes a
minute and at the finish, with Navy
and Columbia challenging, they
were knocking better than 40 with
the paddleboat precision of the Rob-
ert E. Lee.
Richly Deserves Crown.
Wisconsin was the dark horse and
richly earned its crown, but it was
a boat race from stern to bow. A
scant four lengths separated the first
five boats with Navy second, Colum-
bia third, Rutgers fourth and Cornell
fifth. Then came Penn, Princeton,
NIT. and Harvard in that order,
the last never in the race.
Stroked by Carl Holtz, veteran
of the ~ Badger crew and BIT
pilot in the war, Wisconsin got of
slowly in the rowing start, trailing
Columbia, Princeton and Navy. But
scarcely a quarter mile from the
stake boats the Midwestern sweep
swingers were third, pushing their
needle like prov into the leaders.
Navy took over the lead at that
point, hitting steady 80 beat, with
Columbia second and Princeton
back in fourth. At the next call the
Middies still had the edge, but
Wisconsin was gulping water in
huge strokes and rapidly pulling
to the fore with the other positions
unchanged.
Badgers Turn on Heat.
With mile of the grind left, the
picture changed rapidly. Wiscon-
sin. apparently coasting along, be-
gan to row, and with Coxswain
Carlyle Fay knocking out 38, went
ahead of the parade. Navy was
next, Columbia third and Prince
ton fourth. Walt Krstich. Navy
stroke, kicked the beat to SO and
Holz responded with 40. Other
crews were straining like galley
slaves as the frail craft glided
through the final and telling quar-
ter-mile, but Wisconsin had more
than enough to beat them off, while
Navy and Columbia were good
enough to hold second and third.
Rutgers, finishing with the fren-
zied whirl of an egg-beater, got
up in time to clip Cornell by a
splinter, but the rest merely pad
died out the distance, thoroughly
beaten.
A strong cross-Wind, estimated at
80 knots when the Junior varsity
boats began their upstream race
and at 20 when the varsity's swept
into action, delayed the start of the
program and forced Referee Col.
Howard w. Robbins to decide on
rowing starts. One stake boat was
swamped while the jayvees were lin
ing up, and Navy's stake slipped its
anchor, precluding standing start
for the varsity pull.
Navy Gains Revenge.
Navy gained a measure of revenge.
too, for with Admiral Chester MINI
itz looking on, the Tars outstroked
Columbia to atone for a setback
administered by the Lions two weeks
ago on the Harlem. Cornell, pre-
race favorite, never seriously threat
ened. dogging the leaders rudders
all the way. The Big Red, stroked
by Dick Randolph, tired near the
finish as Rutgers came on with
fighting finish to sneak into fourth
spot.
Several thousand spectators, some
in bleachers ashore opposite the
finishing buoys and others in small
boats following the crews, witnessed
the races, and saw Princeton sneak
home winner in the opening jay
wee test. The Orangemer main
tained steady pace from the start
and took full advantage of their
No. lane to nose out Cornell in
diving finish. The Ithicans were
forced to veer to the left to finish
in the proper lane and those few
extra strokes had a telling effect.
Massachusetts, Institute of Tech
nology and Navy trailed the winner
in that order. The time for the
TX mile run was 1927.
Trailing the leaders were Colum-
bias light blue. Penn, Harvard and
Rutoers