Track and Field Delivers Strong Performance at HYP Meet

After a weekend of competing against nationally ranked opponents, the Harvard track and field team returned to Ivy League competition Saturday as it faced Yale and Princeton in the annual HYP meet in New Haven.

“It’s a historic rivalry, so it’s always a good meet,” co-captain Maks Korolev said.

The women swept the meet, finishing with 69 points compared to the Tigers’ 48.5 and the Bulldogs’ 41.5. The Crimson won nine of 15 events on the day to clinch the victory. The win over Princeton is the first time the women have beaten their Ivy opponent since the 2008-2009 season.

“For our women to win for the first time in five years against Princeton is a great display of our depth, and really shows where we’re at with the program,” Harvard coach Jason Saretsky said.

Junior sprinter Danielle Barbian continued her strong 2013-2014 campaign, leading the pack in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.50 seconds. Though she was just a tad slower than the school record time of 7.48 she ran last week, the sprinter set a new HYP meet record on Saturday. She had set the previous meet record of 7.59 last season when the three Ancient Eight foes met.

Freshman Nikki Okwelogu continued to shine in the shot put event. Okwelogu was the clear front-runner, as she threw .68 meters further than the runner up, teammate Adabelle Ekechukwu. The rookie’s distance of 15.02 meters was a personal best and the second-best throw in school history.

One of the most contested events of the day came in the women’s 4x400 meter relay. The Harvard ‘A’ relay team of freshman Haley Baker, senior Olivia Abbate, sophomore Christi Scott, and sophomore Madison Hansen beat out the Princeton ‘A’ relay team by only a hundredth of a second. The Crimson took the event with a time of 3 minutes, 52.96 seconds. The race was close the entire time, but Hansen, who ran the last leg, pushed to keep Harvard ahead.

In several events, Crimson runners’ top competition came from their own teammates. The women swept the top three spots in the 60-meter dash while also taking the top two spots in the 200-meter dash, the 60-meter hurdles, the high jump, and the shot put.

It was a split decision for the Harvard men, as Princeton held a commanding lead throughout the meet. The final scores had the Tigers on top with 89 points, the Crimson in the second position with 54, and Yale bringing up the rear with 26.

The main competition was between Harvard and the Tigers, as the Bulldogs were only able to capture one first place finish. Yale’s Marc-Andre Alexandre won the men’s 400-meter dash, setting a meet record with a time of 48.01 seconds.

Overall, the Crimson took five events compared to Princeton’s nine victories. The Tigers dominated the sprinting contests, while Korolev and senior James Leakos helped the Crimson in the middle and long distances.

“We had some outstanding individual performances and again showed some key strengths,” Saretsky said. “[There’s] a lot of excitement and momentum for the Ivy Championships.”

Korolev continued to excel as he captured victory in the 1-mile event, setting the meet record with a time of 4 minutes, 2.24 seconds. Leakos was first to cross the line in the 3000-meter run with a time of 8 minutes, 8.98 seconds.

“I had a pacer through the first 800,” Korolev said. “Then I just went. I knew I wanted the win.”

The Crimson struggled in the relays Saturday, as it came in third in both the 4x400 meter and 4x800 meter relays, with the Tigers earning first place points in both events and Yale seizing back-to-back second place finishes.

In the field, Harvard dominated the weight throw as it swept the top three spots. Junior Ben Glauser won the event with a distance of 19.33 meters while freshman Josh Whitener and senior Dustin Brode took second and third, respectively.

The meet brought the indoor regular season to a close, as the Crimson will compete next March 1st at Dartmouth for the Ivy League Championships. Some runners will continue to compete in the week off in order to stay fresh for the meet, while others will use the week to focus on training rather than the stress of racing.

“[The HYP meet] is a chance for us to focus on head to head competition,” Saretsky said. “It’s a perfect stepping stone as we get ready for the Ivy Championships in two weeks.”

—Staff writer Theresa C. Hebert can be reached at thebert@college.harvard.edu.