Men's Cross-Country Holds Sway Over Old Eli at Franklin Park Meet

The Harvard men's cross-country team won its version of The Game this weekend.

At the 50th running of the Main Memorial Trophy between Harvard and Yale at Franklin Park, the Crimson brought home the hardware. Harvard placed five of the top eight runners to record 24 points to Yale's 31.

"We were a little worn out from a hard week of training, so it was an impressive outcome considering the circumstances," junior Dave Martin said. "We expected to win, but the race turned out to be a little grittier than it should have been."

Captain Scott Muoio and Martin led the way for Harvard with a one-two finish in the rain-soaked affair. Muoio was the first to cross the finish line, finishing in 24:56. Martin came in just 14 seconds later at 25:10.

The next three finishers were all members of the Eli squad, but strong races from several other members of the Crimson clinched the win for Harvard.

Sophomores Ed Baker and Matt Stevens finished sixth and eighth, respectively, with junior Brendan Trombley sandwiched in between. The trio of Crimson runners all finished within six seconds of each other.

Baker came in at a personal-best time of 25:20 with Trombley on his heels at 25:23 and Stevens recorded a time of 25:26. The Crimson's performances meant that the Elis never had much of a chance.

"A dual meet is deceiving because there are so few points to win," Martin said. "It's not about times, it's about beating the competition."

"We ran decent times, but nothing great," Martin continued. "Our times should increase this Friday."

On Friday Harvard will compete in the New England Championships, one of the major races of the season and typically a tune-up for the prestigious Heptagonals. The Crimson will look to cut its times significantly, and it hopes for a strong showing at the race that will feature over 20 schools from New England.