Dustin Brode is ranked second in the Ivy League in the shot put heading into the HYP meet (Harvard Athletic Communications).

This Weekend
The Harvard track and field team will get a look at some of the top talent in the Ivy League when it travels to Princeton, N.J. for the annual HYP meet Saturday. The tri-meet is the final scheduled meet before Harvard hosts the Ivy League Championships Feb. 23-24 at Gordon Indoor Track.

Meet History
This weekend marks the 59th annual meeting between the three teams on the men's side and the 34th meeting in 35 years for the women, who look to extend their streak atop the Bulldogs to seven years in the annual showdown. The men have 20 wins in that span, ahead of Yale's 11 wins, but behind Princeton's 27, and look to beat Yale for the fourth year in a row.

Last Year's HYP Meet
A number of strong individual performances kept the Harvard track and field team within striking distance of defending champion Princeton, but narrow victories by the Tigers landed Harvard in second in front of Yale, at the annual HYP meet Saturday at Gordon Indoor Track. The Harvard men's team totaled 56.5 points to Princeton's 100.5 and Yale's 13, while the women finished with 65.5, behind Princeton (80) and in front of Yale (13.5).

Nico Weiler turned in one of the top performances of the meet, capturing the pole vault with a clearance of 17' 4.5" (5.30m), setting a new school and meet record in the event. The Harvard men's throwers posted a number of points in the meet, led by rookie Ben Glauser's winning toss of 58' 9.5" (17.92m) in the shot put, with teammate Dustin Brode right behind with a 54' 6.75" (16.63m) mark, good for second. The Crimson picked up six more points in the weight throw with Brode leading a 2-3-4 Harvard finish with a 55' 9.75" (17.01m) distance. A 2-3 finish led by rookie Jonathan Sparks (6' 6.25", 1.99m) in the high jump swung 4.5 more points Harvard's way to cap a strong showing in the field events.

Adabelle Ekechukwu shattered her personal record in the weight throw, setting a new meet record and leading a clean sweep in the event with a toss of 60' 10" (18.54), nearly two meters ahead of the closest competitor. Not to be outdone, Shannon Watt dominated the shot put, topping her personal best by .12 meters and posting the fourth-best mark in school history at 47' 10" (14.58m). Mary Hirst continued her winning ways with a victory in the high jump (5'7", 1.70m) with rookie Ann Giebelhaus tying for second at 5' 5" (1.65m), and Ashtynn Baltimore's leap of 19' 2" (5.84m) in the long jump led a Harvard sweep in the event for 11 valuable points in the meet.

Last Time Out
Harvard took to the track at the New York City Armory for the Armory Collegiate Invitational last weekend, with more than 100 teams represented at the event.

The women's sprinters and hurdlers led the way for the Crimson on Day 1 of the event. Danielle Barbian, fresh off her school-record breaking performance at the Harvard Challenge, nearly matched her mark, running a 7.66 in the 60-meter final, placing third in the race just .05 back of her personal best. Gabrielle Scott's time of 25.11 in the 200 marked a personal best and is the fifth-fastest time in the event in school history. She also became the fourth Harvard woman to break the 55-second barrier in the 400, posting a time of 54.87 in the race, good for the ninth-fastest in league history. 

Paige Kouba turned in the seventh-fastest time in school history in the 1,000, finishing in 2:51.72, 15th overall in the race. Freshman Autumne Franklin improved her personal best time from the Harvard Challenge in the 60 meter hurdles, winning the college competition with a time of 8.61, the second-fastest in school annals and seventh-best in Ivy League history. Mary Hirst jumped well in the high jump, clearing 1.70m (5' 7") for a fifth-place result.

On Day 2, Harvard's women's 4x400 ran the third fastest time in school history, taking on some of the nation's best quartets in the championship competition. Erika Veidis, Gabrielle Scott, Olivia Abbate and Autumne Franklin teamed for a time of 3:44.65, just the third crew to eclipse the 3:45.00 mark in the event in team history.

Scouting the Tigers
Princeton has competed in six meets already this season, highlighted by a first place finish out of 14 teams at the College Night at the Armory I competition Jan. 12. Junior Tom Hopkins is one of the top threats in the Ivy League in the 200 and 400, and is the top-ranked long jumper in the league as well. Stephen Soerens and Richard Sheldon are ranked 1-2 in the conference in the heptathlon. On the women's side, Sarah Lavin (60, 60 hurdles) and Greta Feldman (800) are the top ranked competitors in their respective events, while Feldman also holds the third fastest mile time in the league this year. Julia Ratcliffe sits just ahead of Harvard's Adabelle Ekechukwu in the weight throw standings heading into the meet, while Taylor Morgan (High Jump) and Tory Worthen (Pole Vault), are tops in their respective disciplines.

Scouting the Bulldogs
Yale comes into the competition with five meets under its belt so far this season, including a tri-meet against Columbia and Dartmouth, where it finished second. The men's team is led by junior James Shirvell, who ranks the top 5 in the league in the 800 and 1,000. Yale's 4,800 relay squad holds the second fastest time in the league this season, and Michael Levine comes into the meet ranked third in the weight throw. The Yale women boast the fourth-ranked 4x800 and distance medley relay teams, and Karleh Wilson is the lone female HYP competitor ranked in the top five in the shot put.

On The Horizon
The Crimson will take a week off in preparation for the 2013 Heptagonal Championships, which will take place Feb. 23-24 at Gordon Indoor Track.