tional finals the year before with the same result. Allen Holmes returned the following year to play for Weber College but Larson had to recruit an entirely new set of additional starters to make Weber into a contender the following year. Joining Holmes in 1958-1959 were forward Gene Kunz, center Gordon Millerberg, and guards Joe Carter and Dick Connelly. When the Wildcats opened their 1958-1959 season, they dropped their first unofficial game of the season to an Alumni team 63-61. They also lost two more contests during the teams swing through Kansas, Missouri, and Colorado in December but the Wildcats dropped only one other contest during the regular season, a 58-56 setback at Boise in January 1959. After defeating Phoenix Junior College in the regional tournament, Weber entered the 1959 Hutchinson tournament as one of the favorites. The Wildcats defeated Lindsay-Wilson Junior College (Kentucky) 72-63 in first round play and then beat Pratt Junior College (Kansas) 81-66 as Holmes exploded for 40 points and Kunz with 20. In the semi-finals Weber defeated the Cameron Aggies, as they had the year before, to advance to the championship finals. The Wildcats then defeated Bethany Lutheran of Mankato, Minnesota, to win the game and the national championship 57-47. In addition to the All-American honors Holmes received for the second time, he was also chosen as the tournaments Most Valuable Player. Joe Carter was named with Holmes to the All-Tournament first team and Bruce Larson was named the tourneys Outstanding Coach. After Larsons departure for the University of Arizona at the end of the school year, Bill Mann wove together returnees from the national championship team, such as Kunz and Carter, with newcomers Bill Crain, Mike Sivulich, Eddie Tillman, and Lynn Corbridge to produce another league championship in 1960. Their season was cut short, however, by a loss to Phoenix Junior College in the regional tournament. When Mann unexpectedly resigned in May 1960, Dick Motta was selected to direct Webers basketball program. Mottas two junior college teams both won league titles and regional crowns to qualify for the Hutchinson tournament. In 1960-1961 Weber lost to host Hutchinson College in the consolation championship game 73-70. One year later their tourney appearance was brief, however, as they were eliminated after two early-round defeats. In 1960-61 the chief cogs of Mottas team were Tillman, Sivulich, Corbridge, Phil Johnson, Bob Belka, Bert Hammond, Mike Garrett, and Lorenzo Carter. One year later the nucleus became Garrett, Carter, Ron Thomas, Jerry Trice, Bruce Wilson, and Dave Conger. During the late 1940s the track and field program continued to be hampered by the lack of training facilities. Unable to practice on the downtown campus, the track team trained on high school tracks until 1955 when the Wildcat Stadium track was available for their use. The Wildcats generally entered several dual or triangular meets against conference foes, participated in BYUs annual invitational meet, and ended their regular season with a strong showing in the conference meet. After returning to the conference fold in 1948-1949, Weber finished lower than fourth in the latter meet only once, placed third three times, second on five occasions, and won the conference meet in 1957-1958. Weber also began its own Wildcat Invitational Track Meet to celebrate the opening of their own track in Wildcat Stadium in 1955 as a competition for area junior colleges. Members of Webers track team also secured national recognition through competition in the National Junior College track meet. Both in 1956 and in 1957 Weber placed second in the conference track meet but then went on to take second in the national meet. In 1956 Dan Hagen was cited as the best individual performer in the national meet for winning the one-mile and two-mile events. Weber also secured important points from Jerry Thompson who was third in the 880-yard dash, Ray Schlupp third in the javelin, and Wayne Olsen who was second in the high jump and third in the pole vault. Weber repeated its second place finish in the national meet one year later. Eight Wildcats qualified for the meet. Ray Schlupp again placed third in the javelin. Carl Holmes won the mile and was second in the 880, Abe Barker was first in the discus and third in the shot put, and Charles Hislop, Webers present track coach, was fifth in the two-mile. Several individuals also placed in the national meet on other occasions. Carl Holmes placed fifth in the mile in 1958 and in 1959 Ron Truman won the two-mile run. Weber placed 12th nationally in 1961 when Lynn Corbridge tied for first in the high jump, Brent Brown placed fourth in the pole vault, and Waldo Jensen took fifth in the low hurdles. The team was coached by Clair Anderson from 1948-1949 to 1955-1956. Ray Rhead directed the team through the I960-1961 season and Dick Motta had charge of the team during its last junior college year. Baseball was revived as a major sport at Weber in 1947-1948 after a twenty-year absence. Returning to the Intermountain Conference the next year, Weber at once dominated the league in baseball play as it annexed the league championship for eight of the following nine seasons. In 1948-1949 Weber won its first conference title although it was referred to as the Utah State Baseball Championship, because Boise and Dixie did not participate due to travel difficulties. Weber placed second to Boise in the Northern division of conference play during the 1950 season but then won four divisional and conference championships in five years from 1951 to 1955 after Milt Mecham took over from Dean Gardner as coach of the baseball team. Ray Rhead, Wally Nalder, and Bruce Larson each won conference championships with their teams in 1956, 1957 and 1958 as Weber established a near-dynasty within the league. Mechams 1955 team was one of the best Weber teams of the period. The Wildcats were 9-1 in regular season play, including a perfect record in divisional play, a 4-3 win over Snow for the conference championship, and a victory over Utah State. Webers change in status to a four-year institution in 1962-1963 affected athletic policy considerably. Weber would doubtlessly have preferred to join a conference that also included Utahs three other major four-year schools or at least to have played them on a regular basis. With neither of these options open to Weber in major sports until 1971, President William Miller and Athletic Director Reed Swenson, actively participated in the organization of