Athlete of the Week Runners-Up: Week of 2/3

The two Harvard athletes in this week’s edition of the Athlete of the Week runners-up were stellar in Ivy League competition this past week. Both paced their respective squads on the road in victories for the Crimson.

Christine Clark, Women’s Basketball

With Harvard undefeated in the Ivy League coming into this past weekend, Clark made sure that streak continued on Friday. The senior guard picked apart the defense in the Crimson’s 78-68 win over Princeton at the Jadwin Gym, scoring 25 points on 6-of-12 shooting.

The Tuscon, AZ native contributed across the box score, shooting 2-of-4 from downtown, recording 4 offensive rebounds, and even blocking a shot. With Harvard’s lead in single digits near the end of the second period, Clark made sure the Tigers wouldn’t get any closer by converting 9-of-10 free throw attempts in the final six minutes of the game.

The 5’11” guard would finish the contest with 11 free throw makes, just one shy of her personal best. She even managed to collect the offensive board on the only shot from the charity stripe she missed all evening.

Jack Manchester, Men’s Swimming and Diving

On the road in New Haven for the annual HYP meet, Manchester managed to break a Yale pool record in his freshman season. The 6’3” swimmer took the 200-yard backstroke event with a time of 1:43.43, just .45 seconds ahead of Yale junior Rob Harder. That Saturday afternoon time was also good enough for a NCAA “B” cut time, one of the 12 such times that Crimson competitors earned over the two-day event.

A day prior, the Huntsville, NC native posted a 49.11 time in the 100 yard backstroke, which was good enough for sixth in a closely contested heat that saw the first and sixth place swimmers touch the wall within a second of each other.

Manchester is one of 12 freshmen on a No. 23-ranked Harvard squad that is still unbeaten in the Ivy League. A former state champion in the 100 yard backstroke and 200 yard freestyle back in high school, Manchester has translated his previous successes to immediate results in his first year with Harvard.