Track Finishes Distant Third Behind Cornell, Brown

While it was overall disappointing dual meet for both the Harvard men’s and women’s track and field teams, there were many highlights that helped lift the teams’ spirits in this weekend’s meet against Cornell and Brown at Gordon Track and Tennis Center.

“I definitely don’t think that we should look at this loss as any kind of indication of our capabilities,” said captain Loretta Ann Maludzinski. “We are a team with a ton of talent, ambition, and commitment.”

Both teams claimed the third spot in the meet behind Cornell and Brown. The women scored 18 points behind the Bears’ 51.50 and the Big Red’s 89.50, while the men managed 27 points behind Brown’s 43 and Cornell’s 97.

As usual, the Crimson faced a tough test against league powerhouses like the Bears and particularly the Big Red. The much bigger teams tend to make up a lot of points on the strength of sheer numbers.

“Cornell has a team of such depth that they’re intimidating,” senior Amanda Thornton said.

WOMEN

While the team finished third place in the dual meet, the Crimson was bolstered by strong individual performances and personal records.

“Individually, a lot of people set personal records, if not lifetime than at least seasonal [personal records],” Maludzinski said. “At this point in the season, [personal records] are really how we can determine our success.”

Senior Eleanor Thompson ran a season best in the 50-meter hurdles, with a time of 9:05 earning her the third-place spot.

Another standout was the 4-by-400 meter relay team, consisting of freshmen Chidimma Kalu and Julia Rozier and seniors Vicky Henderson and Thompson. The relay broke four minutes for the first time this season with a time of 3:59.49.

Junior Stevie DeGroff also posted a second place finish and a personal best in the 60-meters with a time of 7.83 before pulling her quad in the 200 meter run.

“The meet results were not as positive as we had hoped, but there were some [personal records] that might be overshadowed by meet results,” Thornton said.

The team as a whole shaved off a cumulative 2:30.22 from their personal bests, with the freshmen on the squad contributing half of the personal best times in this meet.

“We are a team dominated by freshman this year,” Thornton said, “and it’s wonderful that so many of them are talented.”

Kalu had an especially good meet, winning both the 60- and 200-meter dashes.

“I think [Kalu] has been a wonderful addition to our team...but I know that [she] is capable of much more,” Henderson said. “She has huge potential and, as a senior, I’d love to be around to see it realized.”

MEN

Breakout performances on an individual level tempered the men’s track team’s third-place finish.

“We knew Cornell was going to be tough,” senior Kristoffer Hinson said. “I just wanted the guys to focus on their own performances.”

Senior Travis Hughes was the big standout of the meet. Hughes placed in both the long jump and the 60-meter hurdles, delivering unanticipated points for the Crimson. He placed fourth in the hurdles with a personal best of 8.58 and second in the long jump with another personal best of 6.75 meters.

“Travis did well, picking up points in unexpected places,” Hinson said.

The other standout performance was junior John Scott, who posted a third place finish in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.19.

“We had some bright spots,” Hinson said.

But despite these bright spots, the team was not entirely happy with its performance as a whole.

“We need more consistent and balanced production,” Hinson said.

The imbalance he indicated was evident in Harvard’s scoring output, which saw the Crimson earn 22 of its 27 points in non-running events like the shot put, triple jump, weight throw, long jump and high jump. Although there were some racing placements, those places only earned the team five points total.

Meanwhile, the men claimed two first-place spots in the non-running events, with junior Samyr Laine winning the triple jump with a jump of 15.04 meters followed by junior Lawrence Adjah in fourth and Hughes in fifth. Senior Kristopher Hinson took first in the shot put with a throw of 16.42 meters, followed by freshman Chris Ware in third.

“I was really proud of the way the team would pick up cheering for everyone,” Thornton said. “[especially] for [senior Tekky Andrew-Jaja] in his high jump performance.”

Andrew-Jaja ended up claiming third place in the high jump.

Junior James Rhodes and sophomore James Ayers both posted personal records in the weight throw event, placing second and fourth with throws of 15.67 meters and 14.68 meters, respectively.

But even with the strong showing in certain events, the men still felt that they were destined for better.

“We scored a few more points than expected,” Hinson said. “But it is hard to be happy with such a lopsided loss.”

—Staff writer Abigail M. Baird can be reached at ambaird@fas.harvard.edu.