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Indiana Still Picked to Win Big 10 Title
Wisconsin Qualifies Seven Men in Trials for Saturday Night's Finals in Big 10 Meet

8 March 1941 - Lafayette Ind. - Indiana's small but durable band of stars was still the favorite Saturday to end Michigan's seven year reign in the Big Ten indoor track championships although Michigan served notice in the qualifying heats Friday night that it would not give up without a bitter struggle.
Michigan qualified 10 men, Ohio State, Wisconsin and Illinois each seven, Indiana six, Purdue five, Northwestern four, Iowa three, Minnesota two and Chicago one.
Michigan sent Bob Ufer and Bob Barnard into the finals of the 440 yard dash, Warren Breidenbach, John Kautz and Howard Egert into the half mile, Frank McCarthy into the broad jump and Al Thomas into the low hurdles. Thomas and Al Piel qualified for the semifinals of the 60 yard dash, and McCarthy and Geoffrey Hall for the semifinals of the hurdles.
For Indiana, Roy Cochran won the fastest 440 yard semifinal in 49.1 seconds. Marc Jenkins joined him in the finals. Campbell Kane, the half mile favorite, coasted to victory in his heat, although he yielded best time honors to Purdue's Al Holderman, who finished in 1 minute 56.4 seconds. Paul Kendall gave Indiana another position in the half mile. Bob Burnett of Indiana led the broad jumpers with a leap of 22 feet, 7¼ inches. Ed Mikulas rounded out the Hoosier effort by qualifying for the semifinals of the high hurdles.
Wisconsin's qualifiers included Jim McFadzean, Russ Novak and Dave Soergel in the 60 yard dash, Byron Zohn in the 440, Al Harrer in the 70 yard high hurdles and McFadzean and Robert Foster in the broad-jump.

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Wisconsin and Kansas In a Dual Meet
Badgers and Jayhawkers in Track Contest Tomorrow Afternoon
EDGE TO THE VISITORS
Big Ten Team Captured Two Firsts and Tied for One Saturday

21 April 1941 - The University of Wisconsin track team, fresh from an impressive showing in the Kansas Relays, swings into action tomorrow afternoon in Memorial Stadium in a dual meet with the University of Kansas Jayhawkers.

The meet will start at 3:30 o'clock. Admission will be 60 cents for adults and 25 cents for children. Student activity books will admit.
Two firsts and a tie for first were the major spoils carried off by Wisconsin's Badgers in the big track and field carnival here Saturday, The Jayhawks captured only one championship, but placed in several other events.
Biggest surprise of the day was Bob Beierle of Wisconsin's victory in the shot put. Although he had not even placed at the Big Ten meet, Beierle found the cold, wet going to his liking and pushed the iron ball out 49 feet 4¼ inches.

Paskvan Not In Top Form
George Paskvan, the Big Ten champion, with a mark of 49 feet 8 inches, could not get going Saturday and finished fifth. Beierle's showing insures the Badgers of the first two places in the shot put against the Jayhawks, with Paskvan expected to do much better.
That Wisconsin will roll up plenty of points in the distance runs against Kansas was indicated by its victory in the four-mile relay. Drake, Texas Relays champion, was favored to win this event, but bowed to the Badger combination of Frank Stafford, Eugene Pitts, Howard Knox and Howard Schoenike.
Knox and Schoenike are the standouts in this quartet, both possessing fine records in Big Ten competition. Neither one, however, is conceded much of an edge over Dick Edwards of Kansas in the mile run or Don Thompson in the 880.

Contest in the Sprints
The sprints should be bitterly contested with John Towle and Dave Soergel of Wisconsin battling it out with the Jayhawk sprinters, Darrell Mathes and Ted Scott. Towle and Soergel teamed with Russell Novak and James McFadzean, Saturday, to take third in both the 440 and 880-yard relays.
Kansas is counting on first and second in the high jump from its leaping twins. Bob Stoland and Norman Sanneman. The Jayhawk aces tied for first in the high jump at the Relays. Favorite in the Pole vault is Bill Williams of Wisconsin, the Big Ten champion, who tied with DeField of Minnesota, Saturday.
It will be the first dual meet between Kansas and a Big Ten school in a decade.

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Local Boy Enlists

Russ Novak, former Lincoln high school and University of Wisconsin athlete, who recently applied for enlistment as an aviation cadet in the US Naval Reserve Air Corps, has been notified of his acceptance and ordered to report to Genview, Illinois, January 2. Novak, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Novak, 845 N. 11th Street, who already holds a private license which includes acrobatic flying, engaged in extensive aviation activity at the Madison airport while attending the University. After completing his training he will be assigned to a naval air base and active duty.

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Our Men In Service

Decorated with the Air Medal aboard a US carrier in the Pacific was Lieutenant (jg) Marvin R. Novak, USNR, 845 N. 11th Street. He is with Fighting 14, a carrier-based Hellcat squadron which has never lost to enemy fighters any torpedo bombers it was escorting, the crew of which was decorated with individual medals.

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EARLY & WAR YEARS

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POST WAR YEARS

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Victories Include :

19 Jan 1944 22 Jun 1944 1 July 1944 21 Sep 1944

1.5  Ki-61 "Tony" 1/4 H8K "Emily"   2    A6M "Zero" 1/4 Ki-61 "Tony"

destroyed destroyed destroyed probable

3.75 / 0.25 / 0

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--- American Aces ---

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Thanks to Russ & daughter Sharon for the photos !