Cross Country Places Sixth and Seventh at Heptagonals

Alongside their seven Ivy League foes, the Harvard men’s and women’s cross country teams toed the line on Saturday at the West Windsor Fields in Princeton, N.J. for the 2011 Heptagonal Championship meet. With most of the men’s usual top runners sitting out of the meet due to injury, the Crimson finished in seventh place with a total of 184 points. The Harvard women raced to a sixth place finish, scoring 129 points.

On the men’s side, junior Jakob Lindaas was the Crimson’s first runner to cross the finish line, covering the eight-kilometer course in 25:41 for 28th place. Sophomore Aaron Watanabe and junior Jeremy Gilmour turned in top-40 performances, finishing in 32nd and 39th place, respectively.

Meanwhile, veterans led the way for the Harvard women. Seniors Jeanne Mack and Kailyn Kuzmuk were the squad’s first two runners, finishing the six-kilometer course in 22:33 and 22:55, respectively. Mack was the top finisher among all Crimson, coming in 13th place out of 91 competitors.

Adverse weather conditions played a role in determining the finishing times at Saturday’s meet. A wintery mix fell throughout the men’s and women’s races, forcing the runners to battle a slippery course as well as temperatures that hovered around freezing.