Harvard Fares Well On Second Day of Penn Relays

Day two of the 116th Penn Relays started out with a bang for Harvard’s women’s track and field team.

In the squad's first day of racing, the Crimson captured gold in the distance medley event, bringing home its first medal of the games.

In the early morning hours, Harvard’s first participant in the Penn Relays took her place amongst a pack of 53 runners. With the top 18 athletes finishing within three seconds of each other, the women’s 400-meter hurdles championship proved tough competition. Competing in her first Penn Relays in crimson, freshman Melissa Bellin crossed the finish line in 33rd place, only four seconds behind first place.

Four hours later, the next Harvard athlete stepped up to the line. In the college women’s shot put eastern championships, freshman Shannon Watt grabbed fourth place with a throw that landed just 0.29 meters short of the third-place distance. Saint Francis’ Christin Brigg placed first in the event with a new meet record of 15.08 meters.

The last race of the day, the college women’s distance medley championships, proved the most exciting for the Crimson. Junior co-captain Thea Lee ran the first leg of the relay, followed by Bellin and fellow freshman Carlyle Davis, who ran her portion faster than members of eight of the top 10 teams. Junior Claire Richardson anchored the last leg of the race, as Harvard crossed the line in first place with a time of 11:21.31.

With a win in the nation’s largest track and field event, who knows how far the Crimson teams will go when day three begins.