M., W. Track Tune Up at Harvard Low-Key Invitational

Schools from all over New England descended on Cambridge as the Crimson hosted its annual Harvard Invitational track meet. Though many of the Crimson athletes stayed off the track to act as scorekeepers and concession stand workers, Harvard challenged the invitees with its speed, agility and strength.

The cheering fans and intense competition of the visiting schools were a sharp contrast to the relaxed attitude of the Harvard team. The meet resembled more of a workout for the Crimson than a weighty competition. Athletes were free to enter events of their choice at the coach's discretion.

"Today wasn't really a team competition," Harvard assistant Walter Johnson said. "This meet was more to see where we are in terms of condition and shape."

"[The Invitational] is more of a fundraiser for us. This is one of the few times these [Division-III] schools can run on such a good track," he added.

The Crimson is poised and ready to enter into Ivy League competition. The women hope to challenge Brown for the top spot in the Ivy League this season. The men are poised to move up in the rankings to contend for the Heps title at Dartmouth later on this season.

Harvard Men

Though it was a bitterly cold day outside, Harvard heated up the track with victories in the 400-meter dash, the shot put and the triple jump.

The Crimson burnt the field in the 400-meter dash. Sophomores Kobie Fuller and Osahon Omoregie finished one-two in 49.16 seconds and 49.54 seconds, respectively.

Harvard also excelled on the field. D.J. Patterson dominated the shot put with his winning throw of 14.28 meters. Dave Grimm finished third behind Patterson, launching the shot 13.95 meters.

In addition to its success in the shot put, the Crimson also secured a win in the triple jump. Arthur Fergusson placed first with a jump of 14.36 meters. Teammate Francis de la Cruz followed with a third-place jump of 13.26 meters.

Freshman Taylor Buckley rounded out the top performers of the day. Buckley placed second in the high jump at a height of 1.9 meters.

Though the results indicate a smooth season for the Crimson, captain Dominic Patillo said the meet was relatively unimportant.

"It wasn't one of the biggest meets of the schedule. Most of the people worked concessions and timing, so a lot of people weren't racing," Patillo said. " We'll look a lot better after break. Princeton is the [team] we are chasing after, I guess."

Harvard Women

All signs point to an exciting season for the Crimson women. Led by junior co-captain Brenda Taylor, Harvard cashed in on its rigorous training by putting up points in nearly all of its events.

Taylor blazed a trail for the Crimson to follow, winning all three times she set foot onto the track. In the 60-meter dash, Taylor crossed the line first in 7.83 seconds. She outdistanced her competition in the 60-meter hurdles, finishing with a time of 8.65 seconds. Her last race proved to be the icing on the cake as Taylor notched a personal record along with the win in the 200-meter dash. She finished with a time of 24.99 seconds.

Another outstanding performance came from junior Marna Schutte. Schutte, who normally runs the 200-meter and 400-meter dash. Instead, she decided to enter the 800-meter event.

"I enjoyed the 800 in high school," Schutte said. "So the beginning of the season seemed like the perfect time to run it before the real competition had begun."

Schutte must remember high school well--she finished second in the 800, crossing the line with a time of 2:18.

Even though the Crimson lost a large number of athletes to graduation last year, it has gained ample talent in the freshman class. Out of the seven athletes who placed fourth or above in their respective events, five were freshmen.

Not far behind the fleet-footed Taylor was freshman Jennifer Leath. Leath was a close second to Taylor in the trials for the 60-meter dash, falling to her by .01 seconds. Leath eventually finished second to Taylor's first place in the 60-meter dash finals. Freshman shot putter Jill Kornetsky ruled the field, placing first with a throw of 12.99 meters. Freshmen Alayna Miller, Deirdre Colgan, and Bryce Weed also made significant contributions in their respective events.