Sprinter Harris Shines in Annual Meet Against Yale

With the opportunity to extend their collegiate careers by one more race, many of the Harvard men’s and women’s track and field seniors took advantage and qualified to the historic Harvard-Yale vs. Oxford-Cambridge meet this summer.

Captain Jarvis Harris was not satisfied with just one spot however. The senior would notch victories in the 110-meter hurdles, 4x100 relay, and 4x400 meter relay to qualify in three different events.

After finishing the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.23 seconds, Harris anchored the winning 4x100 relay to a tight 41.63 finish and opened the 4x400 meter relay, giving his teammates a lead which would turn into a first-place 3:20.59 mark.

“He’s been tremendous,” coach Jason Saretsky said. “Not only is he a record holder both indoors and outdoors but he’s a tremendous worker, an incredible competitor, and always willing to lay himself out there for the team.”

The Ama, La., native has established himself as one of the top athletes on the Crimson squad as evidenced by the list of accomplishments he has compiled since arriving in Cambridge. Harris holds the program records in the 60-meter and 110-meter hurdles and has taken home Ancient Eight titles in both events as well.

Harris’s affinity for success has seemingly increased when facing the rival Bulldogs, with the captain winning the 110-meter hurdles in all four renditions of the annual rivalry meet in which he has competed.

Despite the success which the senior has obtained in his collegiate career, Harris strives to improve his performance and time. When asked about his performances this season, the senior immediately explained potential improvements which can be made in order to churn out even faster times and continue to improve at both the individual and team level.

“[I’m] continuing the training that I’ve been doing,” Harris said. “I’ll improve my hurdling by fine-tuning my starts and I’ll improve my 400 times, both my 400 hurdle and my 400 contribution to the relay by getting more conditioning in.”

Harris’s impact on the team spreads further than just the numbers and statistics found on the results sheet, as the senior has provided valuable guidance and leadership as one of two elected captains on the men’s team this year.

As the sole senior sprinter on the men’s side, Harris has helped the younger athletes both on the track—such as being the only runner in the 4x100 relay with more than two years of collegiate racing under his belt—and off the track, where the captain has helped underclassmen adapt to the elite level of competition at meets such as the Florida Relays.

“He plays a really valuable role especially for our sprinters and hurdlers on the men’s side,” Saretsky said. “It’s a really young group and they really benefit from his years of wisdom, the mistakes he’s made along the way, and his ability to show them this is what it takes if you really want to be successful.”

With his career donning Crimson winding down, Harris hopes to end his collegiate days on a high note. One of the senior’s main goals for the year is to qualify for the finals of an event at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore., this year.

A top-eight finish would make Harris the first Crimson male first team All-American since pole vaulter Nico Weiler '12-13 did so with his fourth-place finish in the competition.

“My ultimate collegiate goal is to make it to the finals in one of my events, whether it be the 110-meter hurdles or the 400-meter hurdles.” Harris said.

With the careers of the seniors on the team beginning to wrap up, many will fondly look back and reflect on their time in Cambridge filled with great memories and experiences.

Among those seniors is Harris. With his last Harvard-Yale behind him and only a few races—and months—left until the team bids adieu to one of its best all-time sprinters, the senior is happy with what he has accomplished and is confident about the promising future to which the Crimson has to look forward.

“Over the summation of my entire four years of track with Harvard I would say that I am satisfied with what I’ve done in that I’ve tried to not just elevate myself and maximize my potential to the best of my abilities but also I’ve been able to elevate my team over these last four years especially now with the role of captain,” Harris said. “Being able to apply myself more to the team to elevate us and steer us in the right direction so that we can become a championship-winning program and I see it before my eyes, growing and developing and moving in that direction.”

—Staff writer Julio Fierro can be reached at julio.fierro@thecrimson.com.