British Foes Unite Rivals

Harvard and Yale may be bitter rivals, but on Friday, the two squads teamed up to face Oxford and Cambridge in the 42nd annual staging of a meet that pits two of the top academic institutions in the U.S. against the top two universities in England.

The trans-Atlantic meet uses unique scoring system in which the visiting team decides which points system will be used— this year, Oxford and Cambridge chose the “winner-takes-all” system, where only one point is given to the winning team per event, and the Harvard/Yale women trumped their English counterparts 12-7 while the American men fell to Oxford and Cambridge, 10-9. Overall, the combined men and women’s team outscored the British teams, 21-17, to claim the coveted Naughton Trophy once again.

The Harvard/Yale-Oxford/Cambridge meet is the world’s oldest continuing international intercollegiate competition, dating back to 1894. The two countries involved trade off hosting each other, and this year, the four teams headed off to New Haven, Conn., for the historical event.

“There’s sort of one word that sums it up and that’s tradition,” Harvard coach Jason Saretsky said. “There’s a tremendous amount of tradition and history with this meet. This Friday shaped up to be another great competition. I was really pleased with the way the teams competed, and it was a lot of fun to be part of.”

Co-captain Becky Christensen, in the second HYOC match of her career, said she enjoyed not only competing on the track but also getting an opportunity to meet track athletes from the other side of the Atlantic.

“Sure, they’re from England,” Christensen said. “But we have a lot in common with them, and it’s really cool to be friends with people you wouldn’t normally meet.”

Before the match began, Saretsky and Yale coach David Shoehalter sat down to discuss which members of the Crimson and Bulldog teams would represent the universities on the track.

“[Harvard-Yale] is only allowed two total on the track for each event,” Saretsky said. “Every track event has only four contestants.”

Despite a limited roster, the Harvard track team continued to shine, receiving solid performances from both the men and the women.

Favia Merritt, also the co-winner of the most valuable performer’s award, won the 100- and 200-meter dash with a time of 12.31 seconds and 25.41 seconds, respectively. The senior sprinter also was part of a winning 4x100 relay, which also featured Crimson senior Brittan Smith.

Christensen out-jumped her competition once again, and reached her 1.75-meter record mark for the second time this season.

On the men’s side, freshman Nico Weiler won the pole vault event, clearing 5.20 meters and setting a new HYOC match record.

A familiar face to the Crimson was also on hand to compete Friday. Clara Blattler ‘08, a Rhodes Scholar and former standout women’s pole vaulter for Harvard, represented Oxford in the match, and placed first in the pole vault event with a clearance of 3.50 meters.

Friday’s performance not only gave the Crimson athletes a chance to hone their skills on the track, but also offered a rare opportunity to scout out their competition. Harvard will meet Yale next week, this time as opponents.

“Our training is geared towards performing at our best as we go into Harvard-Yale,” Saretsky said.

But for the moment, Saretsky and his team enjoyed participating in this historic event.

“It’s an honor to compete in this event,” Christensen said.

Representatives of the track team also headed down to Brown for the Brown Invitational on Saturday.

“Brown was more an opportunity for our developmental kids to get in a competition, to knock the rust off before we take on Yale,” Saretsky said.

Leading the Crimson in Providence was sophomore distance runner Eliza Ives, who won the 1500-meter event.

“[Eliza’s] been a scorer for us in the past,” Saretsky said. “She’s really rounding into form as we head into the heart of the outdoor season.”

But it was clear that the main focus of the weekend for the track team was the HYOC matchup.

“Theres something really special about it,” Saretsky said. “Our student-athletes recognize the importance of this competition, and had a lot of fun.”

—Staff writer Kevin T. Chen can be reached at ktchen@fas.harvard.edu.