BRIEF: Franklin, Mayer Earn Wins for Track and Field at Texas Southern Relays

The Harvard men’s and women’s track and field teams opened their outdoor schedules this past weekend just like they have every year since 1988–at the Texas Southern Relays in Houston. Despite the event being cut short due to inclement weather, the Crimson managed to obtain positive results in its first taste of outdoor competition.

Junior Autumne Franklin won first place in the 400 meter hurdles, crossing the finish line with a time of 58.71, while sophomore Jackie Modesett finished fifth at the 1:00.08 mark.

Franklin was joined atop the podium by teammate Hannah Mayer, as the senior notched a victory for Harvard in the javelin event with her winning throw of 47.87 meters. The mark was over six meters further than her closest competitor, with teammate junior Megan McHugh behind her in fourth place.

Senior Danielle Barbian, fresh off her Ivy League title in the 200 meter dash, claimed a second place finish in the event with a time of 24.84.

In the longer events of the day, the Crimson women’s 1,600 meter sprint medley lost to its hosts by one one-hundredth of a second. Despite Texas Southern claiming victory, the contingent of co-captain Ashley Collinsworth, Franklin, and juniors Christi Scott and Paige Kouba clocked in at 3:55.90–the second-fastest time in Harvard history.

On the men’s side, the sprint relay came in fourth. The relatively young team made up of rookies Malcolm Johnson, Ahmed Obed, and Matthew Hurst as well as senior Connor Reck completed the event with a time of 3:26.42.

Men’s co-captain Jarvis Harris, meanwhile, clocked in with a time of 54.25 in the 400 meter hurdles, good for fourth place overall.

Harvard was also represented well off the track, producing top-five finishes in multiple events. In the men’s javelin, sophomore Richard Bradley and freshman Andrew Connolly claimed third and fifth, respectively. Sophomore Andrew Roney placed second place in the pole vault after clearing a height of 4.75 meters.

The Crimson continued its solid field performance in the high jump and hammer throw. Sophomore Raegan Nizdil took second in the high jump with a 1.72 meter leap, while senior Ann Giebelhaus was part of a five-way draw for third place.

The Harvard weight throwers chimed in with a pair of fourth-place finishes, as senior Taylor DuPont threw a distance of 50.45 meters on the women’s side, while sophomore Joshua Whitener recorded a mark of 54.84 meters in the men’s competition.

The team continues its outdoor season this weekend, with the athletes splitting into two different contingents. Some members will partake in the Texas Relays hosted by UT Austin, while others will compete in the confines of Massachusetts at the Tufts Snowflake Classic.