Track and Field Performs Well at Lobo Collegiate Invitational

After a weekend of competing at home, the Harvard men’s and women’s track and field program sent a limited squad southwest to New Mexico to compete against West Coast and Texas programs in the Lobo Collegiate Invitational.

The Crimson athletes showed they could compete with talent located outside the boundaries of the Northeast, as seniors Danielle Barbian and Ben Glauser, along with sophomore Nikki Okwelogu won their respective events.

Barbian proved to be the star of the show for Harvard, as the Sussex, Wis. native took home the title in the 60 meter dash with a time of 7.44 seconds. The senior would follow it up with a personal best 24.46 in the 200 meter dash.

The 60 meter performance matched the senior’s school and Ivy League record and edged out second place Leshel Vines of CSU Northridge by .08 seconds.

Though Barbian was the only individual to claim a title on the track, her fellow runners would follow with solid performances throughout the meet.

“It was a great win for Danielle in the 60, equaling her best from the Ivy League championships last year,” head coach Jason Saretsky said. “To come back in the 200 really speaks to how she’s evolved and progressed.”

Gabrielle Scott placed third in the 600 meter run, while junior Autumne Franklin took sixth in the 60 meter hurdle finals with a time of 8.66. In the 4x400 meter relay, the team of Scott, Madison Hansen, Jade Miller and Christi Scott got the runner-up slot in the podium with a 3:44.77.

Not to be outdone by their track counterparts, the field athletes, led by Glauser and Okwelogu, took home a pair of titles while also continuing individual winning streaks.

Okwelogu continued her torrid start to the season, as the sophomore took home her third straight shot put title, posting a mark of 15.68 meters, .67 meters further than the second place finisher.

The throw was also the third time this season that the Fresno, Calif. native threw further than 15.31 meters, the mark Okwleogu notched to claim the Ivy League Indoor Heps title last year.

Okwelogu wasn’t the only thrower to have a string of victories, as Glauser took home his second consecutive title in the weight throw. The men’s captain had a 19.39 meter toss to take home the title and added a fifth place finish in the shot put with a 16.57 meter mark.

Despite the early success of the team, Glauser believes that there is still much work to do in order for the throwers to earn another Ivy League title.

“I think it’s looking good for us,” Glauser said. “But there is still a lot of season left and a lot of things can happen. It’s a really good conference and it will present stiff competition.”

Glauser was joined on the weight throw podium by sophomore Josh Whitener, who placed third in the weight throw by 18.29 meters.

The meet gives the athletes an experience to compete against some of the best talent in the nation while exposing the Crimson to competition outside the Ancient Eight.

“The biggest thing is getting out of our comfort zone a little bit.” Saretsky said. “You start to see a lot of familiar faces here in the Northeast and you get a little bit comfortable with the competition.”

The team returns to action next week at the Terrier Invite, hosted at Boston University, before returning home to host the Harvard, Yale, Princeton meet on February 14th.

The H-Y-P event is one of the most important meets of the year for Harvard, as the team competes against Ivy rivals Tigers and Bulldogs for bragging rights between the three schools. The men look to beat Princeton at the meet for the first time since 1986.

“H-Y-P will be fun,” Glauser said. “The men have never beat Princeton at H-Y-P or Heps since I’ve been here but this year is a really good opportunity to come out on top.”

—Staff writer Julio Fierro can be reached at jfierro01@college.harvard.edu.