M., W. Track Cruise to Dual Meet Victories Over B.C.

The Harvard men’s and women’s track teams opened their seasons on Saturday with typical dual meet victories over Boston College.

And women’s track and field co-captain Nicky Grant opened the season with her usual record-breaking effort in the weight throw.

Grant’s 18.90-meter throw—a personal record by 70 centimeters— was the standout performance in the women’s track team’s 70-57 victory over BC. It was the second consecutive season that Grant had opened her indoor season with a PR.

The men’s track team won 13 of 17 events en route to a 97-44 victory, led by co-captain Kobie Fuller who won two of the sprints.

Harvard Men 97, BC 44

For the majority of the men’s track team, Saturday’s meet was just a chance to establish a base performance before the real competition begins.

Fuller thought the team produced solid results that it could build on as it prepares for the Indoor Heptagonal Championships at the end of February.

“[The results] are a good thing because we know what to work for, to definitely catapult up and take the Ivy championship,” Fuller said.

Fuller was the only athlete of the meet to win two events—the 200 and 400-meter dashes. Only the 400 is run at Heps, and Fuller is one of the favorites, having finished third in the event last year. He will look to improve on Saturday’s 49.12-second performance.

“It wasn’t too fast but it was a good base for the year,” Fuller said. “I’ll definitely be able to drop my times down for the rest of the season.”

While Fuller was establishing a base in the 400, senior thrower David Grimm was setting new standards.

Grimm won the shot put with a throw of 15.79 meters—a PR by just over half a meter. He attributed the performance to some newfound relaxation. The throw qualified him for the IC4A meet, the highest-level of competition other than NCAAs.

“I wasn’t tense before this meet for some reason,” he said. “If I [keep this up] I should place in Heps. It’s my senior year so I want to do well.”

Other solid performances for the men came from junior Chris Antunes who won the 800 in 1:55.31 and co-captain John Cinelli who won the 1000 in 2:31.55. Both times, though early in the season, were close to what would be necessary to score at Heps.

Senior Nnamdi Okike also was victorious in the 500 meters in his first meet since his sophomore year.

The Crimson won the meet comfortably despite not running two of its top competitors—sophomore Alasdair McLean-Foreman, who is expected to run the mile, and junior sprinter Chris Lambert.

Harvard Women 70, BC 57

The Crimson won nine of 15 events on Saturday, highlighted by Grant’s record-breaking throw.

“It was surprisingly easy and felt really good so I look forward to building on that,” she said. “I am definitely pleased with my performance today.”

The throw by Grant not only blew away all personal, school, and Ivy records, it also put her in good position to qualify for NCAAs. Provided that Grant does not reach the automatic qualifying distance of 19.50 meters, she needs to be among the top 16 or 17 throwers in the country to make the NCAA meet. A throw of 18.90 meters would have put her on the brink of NCAA qualification at the end of last year.

“I feel if I can get up into the 19-meter range I’ll definitely be able to qualify,” Grant said. “But that’s a little ways away and I’ll take everything one step at a time.”

Grant wasn’t the only Harvard athlete to PR in the weight throw. Sophomore Breeanna Gibson had a 15.14-meter throw, near what she would need to score at Heps.

Gibson and Grant also went one-two in the shot put, with Gibson winning at 12.51 meters.

Defending NCAA high jump champion Kart Siilats got her season off to a respectable start, winning the event with a leap of 1.75 meters—short of the automatic qualifying mark by eight centimeters.

On the track, co-captain Carrie McGraw made a solid return to action after missing most of last season to injury with a victory in the 400.

Junior Melissa Tanner, coming off a highly successful cross-country season, ran a PR in the 3000 of 10:06.20 which placed her third.

Two freshmen won events for Harvard—Eleanor Thompson in the 60-meter hurdles and Chelsea Connolly in the pole vault.

Grant said that her team did everything that was asked of them.

“I’m really pleased with their performance,” she said. “As a team I feel that already we’re coming together and becoming a more cohesive unit.”

Scorers

Harvard Men

Weight: 2.Grimm 13.36, 3.Geoffrey Preidis 11.23

Mile: 2.Devin Lyons-Quirk 4:25

60-meter hurdles: 1.Benton Bodamer 8.61, 3.Michael Whalen 8.81

400: 1.Fuller 49.12, 3. Osahon Omoregie 50.58

Long Jump: 1. Travis Hughes 6.83, 2. Onyechi Ezekwueche 6.83

500: 1.Okike 66.42, 3. Adam Kalamchi 67.36

Shot Put: 1.Grimm 15.79, 2. Adam Gelardi 14.90, Kristoffer Hinson 14.81

800: 1.Antunes 1:55.31

1000: 1.Cinelli 2:31.55

200: 1.Fuller 22.42, 2.Adam Hayner 23.69, 3.Bodamer 24.04

Pole Vault: 1.Aaron Snead 4.40, 2.Richard Przekop 4.40

3000: 1.Matt Siedel 8:32.74, 2.Nathan Shenk-Boright 8:34.28, 3.John Friedman 8:42.60

High jump: 1.Taylor Buckley 1.90, 2.Jeremy Fox 1.85

60: 1.Hughes 7.31, 3.Adam Hayner 7.36

Mile relay: 1.Harvard 3:25.61

Harvard Women

Long jump: 1.Alayna Miller 5.25

High jump: 1.Siilats 1.75, 3. Elizabeth Cutright-Smith 1.55

Mile: 3.Beverly Whelan 5:15

Weight: 1.Grant 18.90, 2.Gibson 15.14

60-meter hurdles: 1.Thompson 9.23, 2.Miller 9.25

400: 1.McGraw 58.51, 2.Victoria Henderson 60.63, 3.Ashley Furst 61.57

60: 3.Tsitsi Gora 8.02

200: 2.McGraw 26.28, 3.Gora 26.30

Shot put: 1.Gibson 12.51, 2.Grant 12.50

Triple jump: 1.Helena Ronner 12.09, 2.Cutright-Smith 10.92

3000: 3.Tanner 10:06.20

Pole vault: 1.Connolly 3.05, 3.Bryce Weed 2.89

Mile relay: 1.Harvard 3:59.79