Thinclads gunning for No. 1 ...
1970 Track Preview is Success Review
by John Bodnar
The Eastern Echo

Cliff Larkins [seventh] fifteenth in the NCAA Triple Jump at Cobo Hall last year, leads the triple-long jump department. A junior, Larkins is small in stature and has high goals, but somehow, he has the ability to attain those goals. "I just do my thing," remarks the Highland Park wonder who broke the existing triple jump record three weeks in a row last year.

Pushing Larkins will be juniors Thermond Kirkland and Ranee Teeple, sophomore Ken Hildreth, and senior George Thomas; all of whom double in the long jump.

 Sophomore high jumper Ron De Vries, who was ineligible last year, did 6' 7 1/4" (EMU record - 6' 6") unattached, and should be almost fully recovered from an accident which was almost fatal in 1968. There is not much depth in this event, so much will depend on several freshmen who are vying for recognition.

Larkins qualifies for NCAA finals:
Thinclads break loose in MSU relay
by John Bodnar
The Eastern Echo
February 17, 1970

   EAST LANSING - THE GIANT WAS MAIMED but still made his imprint as Eastern Michigan's trackmen took home more than their share of awards at the forty-eighth Annual Michigan State Relays, Saturday.

   EMU's strength rivaled many of the track powers who were there, such as Michgan State, Air Force, University of Michigan, Drake, Purdue, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Ohio University, Bowling Green, and many others.

   The Huron field eventmen showed a not often recognized scope of strength, as the Huron runners seemed to be stunned by the slow, soft dirt track.

   CLIFFORD LARKINS jumped his best to date for second place in the triple jump with 48' 4 1/2".   This distance qualified him for the NCAA Championships at Cobo Hall in March, for the second straight year. "I'm happy. I just try to keep personal goals." said the junior from Highland Park.

   Eastern completely dominated the long jump competition. Keith Swanston (2), Mike Clark (4), and Thermond Kirkland (6) supplied the Huron scoring punch with jumps of 23'7 1/4," 23'3 1/2," and 23'1/4" respectively.

   FRED ROLL captured a strong second place in the pole vault when he soared 15'0. " First place was also 15'0" but Roll had more misses. Both vaulters had then moved the bar up to 15'10," the Cobo hall qualifying standard - which neither cleared.

   EMU's HURDLING ACE Bill Tipton was narrowly nipped in the 70 yard high hurdles by Michigan State's Charles Pollard -  both were timed in 8.4. But Tipton came back to win the 70 yard low hurdles by a wide margin in 7.8.

   The Huron star had broken the EMU Varsity 65 yard high hurdle mark the previous week when he was timed at 7.6. This broke Hays Jone's (1964 Olympic Gold medalist) mark of 7.7 which had been on the record books since 1957.

   DAVE CAMPBELL, the Australian distance ace, pushed himself to a 9:02.7 clocking and fourth place in the two mile run. The winning time of 8:51.8 shattered the field house record.

   Rovan Locke, who was a threat throughout his race, ran out of steam in the final straight-away and had to settle for sixth place in the 600 yard dash.

    LARRY STOSSEL MUSCLED his way to a fourth place finish behind John Carlos who was in first place. Carlos, 'The World's Fastest Human" and Bronze Olympic medalist, broke the American 220 record with a time of 21.2 on his way to a 30.3 300 yard clocking (record - 29.8). The former San Jose State super star had promised that he would break both records but had to settle for just one.

   Pay Bynoe also took a fourth in a special 600 yard dash in 1:11.5, a shade off the EMU Varsity record. Lee Evans, Olympic Gold medalist and 440 dash world record holder, won the event in 1:08.9, two-tenths off the world record he had just set the night before in Los Angeles.

    EASTERN WON the College Mile Relay in 3:21.3 (Jim Grant-Bob Baxter-Ed Oxley-Ian Hall). At the Western Michigan relays a week ago, the team of Hall-Baxter-Grant-Eugene Thomas sprinted to a 3:16.7 to edge out Michigan State touted as the finest in the nation this season.

    Thomas, the Huron's anchorman, bettered MSU's Bill Wehrwein (NCAA 600 yard dash champ and world record holder) at the tape in a remarkable 48.2 quarter mile leg.

    EMU's SPRINT MEDLEY team of Hall-Oxley-Keith Swanston-Eric Nesbitt was pushed off the track a couple of times, tripped, and battered but took a third place behind Michigan State in 3:32.5 (winning time, 3:26.7).

   The two-mile relay saw Eastern streak to a staggering fifth place finish in 7:49.5. (Floyd Wells-Wayne Seiler-Fred LaPlante-John Carroll) EMU got lost and when it finally found itself, the Huron's were too far out of the race.

    Eastern's Distance Medley also took a hit in this department, but never found its way back. In their respective relays, Nesbitt and Seiler ran 1:55 half miles.

    Not making the trip was Bob Sampson, who ran a 9:16 two mile last Wednesday. Terry Furst did make the trip (he had run a 9:22 two mile last Wednesday) but failed to place.

   MARVIN LYNCH did not place in the 1000 though he turned in a credible 1:18.

    Eastern saw many of its relays go down the drain, but its prestige was salvaged when the Huron’s individual efforts more than made up for the disappointing relays efforts.

    The thinclads travel to Big Rapids, Tuesday, in a bid to renew their state NAIA Championship.