Mixed Results for Track and Field at Weekend Meets

While the Harvard track and field team divided over the weekend, the conquering didn’t come quite as easily.

Some members of the squad headed to the Sunshine State to compete in the North Florida Invitational against some of the nation’s elite teams, only managing one win, while others stayed closer to campus and took care of business at the Tufts Snowflake Classic.

NORTH FLORIDA INVITATIONAL

Harvard was up against some of the nation’s best track and field teams at the North Florida Invitational in Jacksonville, Fla. The squad was pitted against a field that included Auburn University, the University of South Carolina, and Florida State University, and the University of Virginia.

“It was intimidating at first...but it’s kind of cool being the underdogs,” freshman Erika Veidis said.

The Crimson embraced its role as the underdog and was able to notch a number of top-five performances, including some personal records.

Junior Nico Weiler earned Harvard’s only event win of the meet in the pole vault. Weiler cleared 5.30 meters, a mark just shy of the school record, to take home the victory.

But Weiler wasn’t the Crimson’s only field athlete who impressed at the meet.

In his first collegiate meet, Freshman Dean Sullivan finished in third place in the javelin with a heave of 67.00 meters. The rookie’s mark is the second best in school history.

While most members of the Harvard squad had the entire indoor season to compete in their respective events, Sullivan and the team’s other javelin throwers are just beginning to see competition, as the javelin throw is limited to outdoor track.

“Dean is doing a great job of listening to [throwing coach Cathrine Grace Erickson],” Harvard coach Jason Saretsky said. “His throw was better than he threw in high school by about a meter. There’s still quite a bit to work on, but I’m excited about what’s to come for him.”

On the women’s side, senior Kailyn Kuzmuk posted the best performance of her career in the 1500m run. Following a rough start to the race, Kuzmuk was able to make her way up to the front of the pack and finish in third place with a personal-best time of 4:26.05. The veteran’s time ranks fifth all time for the Crimson.

“[Kuzmuk] ran like a seasoned veteran,” Saretsky said. “I was thrilled with way she competed.”

Florida State was otherwise dominant in the women’s 1500, placing four runners in the top seven spots with senior Violah Lagat taking first.

The Crimson women did its best to steal a page from the Seminoles’ book in the 800m run. Veidis and fellow first-year Molly Renfer, as well as senior Meghan Looney all finished in the top seven places in the event. The trio finished in third, sixth, and seventh places, respectively.

“The race was incredibly daunting at first,” Veidis said. “I was thinking to myself, ‘Oh my gosh, are you going to be able to run these two laps?’ I hadn’t run an 800 since January, and I’m dealing with minor injuries…so I wasn’t expecting all that much. I really surprised myself.”

The invitational was hosted by North Florida University. Harvard will return to the venue later in the season for nationals.

TUFTS SNOWFLAKE CLASSIC

While their teammates were soaking up the sun and competing against a few of the nation’s perennial track and field powerhouses, some members of the track and field squad remained in chilly Massachusetts to take on some regional competition.

The Crimson flexed its muscle against the meet’s weaker field, tallying up a number of event wins.

Senior John Dingus topped the competition in the 400m dash, cruising to victory with a time of 50.28 seconds.

“John’s a great competitor,” Saretsky said. “He’s in great shape, and I think he has more success ahead of him. As season progresses and he gets in more competitions, I think we’re going to see his times drop even lower.”

For the Harvard women, the distance runners showed that they will be a force to be reckoned with down the stretch this season. Sophomore Morgan Kelly, freshman Viviana Hanley, and senior Kirsten Jorgensen took the top three places, respectively, in the 5000m run. Kelly’s time of 17:28.53 earned her the event win, with Hanley less than a second behind her.

“I think [the weekend] went really well for us,” Saretsky said. “We had a number of outstanding performances. There’s a bit of an extra challenge when you’re competing in two places, but I was very pleased with how our student-athletes went out and competed.”

—Staff writer Dominic A. Martinez can be reached at dmartinez@college.harvard.edu.