Harvard Collects Six First-Place Finishes and a New Men’s 100-Meter Record

After a stellar indoor season, including a national championship by Tito Alofe in men’s high jump, Harvard opened its outdoor season on March 19 in Houston, Texas, with a statement performance at the Kirk Baptiste Invitational, collecting six event wins, 20 podium finishes, and resetting a school record that has stood for more than two decades.

The most historic moment of the meet came in the men’s 100-meter, where junior Timi Esan broke Harvard’s school record with a time of 10.26, placing third overall and surpassing the previous record — 10.28 — set in 2002.

On the field, standout freshman Yannick Kraus impressed in the men’s pole vault. The Dubai native cleared a personal-best of 4.75 meters but finished second to Houston sophomore Colton Harrison, who won on countback after clearing the same height on his first attempt. Kraus later rebounded in the men’s javelin, winning the event with another personal best of 54.38 meters.

On the women’s side, Crimson junior jumper Lilly Hodge collected first in the pole vault, clearing 4.12 meters on her final attempt.

Harvard also turned in a strong showing in the women’s discus. Freshman Nadjela Weipwe placed second with a mark of 51.68 meters, followed closely by sophomore Tyler Glover at 49.94 meters, while senior Michaela Denson took fifth at 46.64 meters. Glover also added a runner-up finish in the women’s shot put with a throw of 14.89 meters.

On the track, sophomore Abby Dennis opened her season of the 100-meter hurdles with a first-place finish and personal best of 13.63 seconds. She crossed the line more than a tenth of a second ahead of the runner-up.

In the women’s 100-meter race, junior Mickaila Haisley, sophomore Saige Forbes, and sophomore Ella Cooper finished second, third, and fourth, respectively, separated by just one hundredth of a second. Haisley finished at 11.58 to match her personal best from the 2025 Ivy League Heptagonal Track and Field Outdoor Championships. Forbes — who finished runner-up in the women’s triple jump — followed with the same time, and Cooper ran a personal-best of 11.59. Houston freshman Zyon Alston pulled away for the win after a slower start.

Cooper returned later in the day to win the women’s 200 meters at 23.45, while Haisley surged over the last 50 meters to take third at 23.75, missing second place by less than a hundredth of a second. Their performances now rank fifth and sixth all-time in Harvard history.

The Crimson was especially strong in the men’s 400-meter hurdles, where freshman Oliver Parker finished first with a time of 51.30. Senior Michal Husek earned third with a 52.36, and senior Ondrej Vesely took fourth at 53.32. In the women’s race, captain Jacklynn Okereke nabbed second place with a 1:01.76.

Harvard additionally had standout performances in the men’s 800-meter, where senior Justin Levy clocked a 1:52.90 to win the event. Two freshmen, Hudson McGough and Preston Ellis, finished third and fifth with times of 1:55.30 and 1:56.68, respectively.

The Crimson will look to carry its momentum into the next stretch of competition, heading to the Raleigh Relays in Raleigh, N.C., and the UMass Lowell Invite in Lowell, Mass., this weekend.

— Staff writer Anat Goldstein can be reached at [email protected].