Athlete of the Week: Maksim Korolev Places Second Against Top Competitors

This past weekend, the Harvard cross country team toed the line against some of the nation’s best programs at the Wisconsin Adidas Invitational. Despite the deep field that included three of the top-ranked teams in the country, just two seconds separated co-captain Maksim Korolev from the individual victory.

Korolev took second place out of 288 runners at the elite invitational. The senior covered the 8k men’s course in 23:14, averaging 4:41 minutes per mile to set a new personal record.

The Crimson’s other co-captain, James Leakos, also finished in the top ten with a time of 23:33.

“James and I just went out moderately hard, and we just got out in a good spot and then we just slowly moved up to the front,” Korolev said.  “I just kept pushing with the front pack.”

Last year, Korolev also had a strong performance at the Wisconsin meet. He was Harvard’s first runner, coming in 20th with a time of 23:44—thirty seconds slower than this year’s time.

“Wisconsin’s always been good to me,” Korolev said.  “Last year I had a breakthrough race there, and I got 20th, and that was really good for me.  It’s a great course and just a really good place to race.”

To prepare for the Ivy Heptagonal Championships, which will be held at Princeton in two weeks, Korolev’s training regimen has become increasingly rigorous.

“He’s without a doubt training at a higher level than he’s ever trained before,” Harvard coach Jason Saretsky said.  “It’s been really exciting.”

“I knew I was in good shape,” Korolev added.  “I knew it was possible to finish well [at the Wisconsin invite], but I just went out there and did what I could.”

Arkansas senior Kemoy Campbell edged out Korolev to earn first place at the meet. Campbell was in first place from the start, crossing the first mile mark in a blistering time of 4:38. Korolev was not far behind, coming through in 4:43.

Though Campbell had a ten-second advantage at the 5k mark, Korolev found himself in a tight pack that reached 5k in 14:46.

In the final stretch of the race, it came down to Campbell, Korolev, and North Carolina State’s Andrew Colley, who all crossed the finish line in a six-second span. The fourth-place finisher was 10 seconds behind Colley.

“[Korolev] and James Leakos have been doing an outstanding job this year, really taking care of the little things, and put in a great summer of training,” Saretsky said.

“I was pleased to see all the hard work paying off, and I’m excited for what the implications are for the rest of the season.”

In spite of the tough competition, the Crimson was the only school to place two runners in the top-10 at the meet. Northern Arizona, which won the team title, is ranked No. 3 in the country, and BYU and Portland, which are No. 5 and No. 7, respectively, rounded out the top-three in the team standings.

“Having two in the top ten at a major invitational like that really helps the rest of our team to see what the potential is here at Harvard and our program,” Saretsky said.

Korolev’s work ethic and leadership has earned him the respect of the younger members of the Crimson squad.

“He’s a really hard worker,” Marvin said.  “He’s always trying to do all the little extra things, whether it’s cross-training after running or doing core or form drills.  He’s always making sure he’s doing everything he can to be the best for the team…He keeps us motivated and working hard.”

Harvard will take next weekend off, but will be back in action at the most important meet of its season—the Ivy Heptagonal Championships.

“Everything we’ve done has really been geared toward the championship part of our season, so we are going to continue along with the plan that we set out at the beginning of summer,” Saretsky said.  “It should be a lot of fun to see how it all plays out.”

After their impressive performances this past weekend, Korolev and Leakos will be among the favorites to earn the individual title at Heps.

“I’m not really changing any expectations,” Korolev said.  “We are not discounting the Princeton guys, the Dartmouth guys, or any of the guys in the league.  But we’re definitely going to shoot for the top two.”