SPORTS BRIEF: Before majority of Ivy League schedule, Harvard track teams face-off versus local teams at Husky Invitational

The Harvard track and field teams took on local competition this weekend in a tune-up before more intense Ivy meets.

The Crimson traveled to Dedham, Mass. for the Husky Invitational on Saturday and Sunday, and came away with a number of individual victories against a range of schools that included Boston College and Northeastern. The meet was not scored by team.

In one of the most successful areas for Harvard on the weekend, the Crimson sprinters blew past all other runners in the women’s side of the meet. Senior Stevie de Groff won both the 100 meter and 200 meter dashes, with freshman Favia Merritt following her up in the former and Shannon Flahive in the latter.

The third position in each distance was also a Crimson runner—sophomore Chidimma Dalu was .57 seconds behind de Groff’s winning time of 12.10 in the 100 meter race, while freshman Brittan Smith was under a second behind the pace of 25.19 in the longer sprint.

The 4 by 400 meter relay team also gave the Crimson another gold in that short-distance event.

Senior Laura Maludzinski and junior Leslie Irvine were two other Harvard victors, taking top spots in the 800 and 5000 meter runs, respectively.

In the field side of the competition, freshman Becky Christiensen won the high jump by clearing a height of 1.75 meters.

On the men’s side of the competition, senior James Kelly and sophomore Ryan Hafer proved that the core of the Crimson’s strength on the oval is in its long distance runners, sweeping the top spots in the 5000 meter race. Kelly won the event by crossing the line in 5:10.09, while Hafer finished a ways behind him in second in 5:28.13.

Freshman Derek Jones led the way in the sprinting portion of the meet by taking third in the 400 meter dash with a time of 49.84 in the finals. Fellow classman Nils Wernerfelt followed up Jones with ninth in the same event.

Sophomore Haibo Lu took eighth in the 800 meter run, with Manny Karngar of Rhode Island College at the front of the pack with a time of 1:56.17. Lu’s time in the final heat was 2:02.51.

In the field side of the meet, another experienced senior was at the forefront for the Crimson—Travis Hughes leapt 7.04 meters in the long jump to easily stay out of reach of the rest of the competition and win the event.

Another Harvard victory was registered by senior Kevin Duffy in the javelin throw. His toss of 57.10 meters was just under two meters better than any of the other 18 competitors.

Senior James Rhodes and junior James Ayers had tosses good enough for sixth and seventh in the hammer toss events, leaving divots 50.04 and 47.90 meters from the circle.

Sophomore pole vaulter Dan Ford took sixth in his events.

—THE CRIMSON STAFF