Crimson Sets Pace at Hillside

Under an ominous April sky, the Crimson track and field team opened its outdoor season with stunning success in last weekend’s Hillside Relays hosted by Tufts University.

Harvard monopolized the meet, capturing ten of the women’s events and five of the men’s, proving that not even the freezing rain could impede its performance.

Despite the unfavorable conditions, Harvard exhibited no evidence of cold feet at its first trip to Hillside. Among its many accolades, the women’s team dominated the 100-meter dash, denying the competition entrance into the top four.

Junior Stevie DeGroff led the way, blowing past the finish in 12.52 seconds. Freshman Shannon Flahive followed suit as she coasted to a 25.67-second victory in the 200-meter.

The Harvard men’s team shared in the wealth as four of its athletes collectively took five events.

Captain Travis Hughes set an example, winning both the long jump—6.81 meters—and triple jump—14.26 meters.

Freshman Derek Jones blew past 34 other runners on his way to win the 400-meter dash in 49.70 seconds.

The women’s freshman squad controlled the competition that it faced. Jitka Tomas threw 34.61 meters to win the javelin, freshman Becky Christensen sprang 1.62 meters for first in the high jump, and freshman Elissa Reidy took the triple jump with an 11.36-meter effort.

The women’s performance in the pole vault marked the pinnacle of the Crimson field success: junior Katherine Nishimura went 3.33 meters for the win as Harvard collected four of the five top spots.

Sophomore Alex Obrecht and senior Kevin Duffy manned the field for the men, taking the shot put and javelin, respectively.

The Crimson may have been new to the Hillside Relays, but women’s junior captain Julia Pederson said the team’s success was more than beginner’s luck.

“We didn’t know what to expect of the competition, but we’ve been training well,” Pederson said. “We just came back from two-a-day practices and two meets in Houston over Spring Break.”

Pederson did not compete in last week’s events due to a muscle pull in her back, but is anxiously awaiting the upcoming competition hosted by Crimson rival, Yale.

“This week was more of getting back to New England weather and school...a little bit of a break before the Harvard-Yale meet,” Pederson said.

According to sophomore Alex Lewis, who took second place in the long jump after Hughes, the men’s team saw it the same way.

“The Hillside was a good place to practice and compete against people, to give us a little more experience,” he said.

Apparently, no experience was necessary for freshman Brittan Smith, who capped the meet by competing in her first heptathlon and earning a total of 3885 points to win.

The Crimson will attempt to recreate its success this Saturday as the men and women compete in the Husky Invitational at Northeastern.