Adabelle Ekechukwu became the first woman in Ivy League history to eclipse 20 meters in the weight throw (Harvard Athletic Communications).
PRINCETON, N.J. – Three school records fell during Saturday's competition as the Harvard track and field team squared off against Ivy League rivals Princeton and Yale in the annual HYP meet.
Princeton earned both the men's and women titles on the day while the Harvard men and women both took second at the competition. The Harvard men compiled 59 points to Princeton's 88 and Yale's 23, while the Harvard women earned 55 points, behind Princeton's 79 and ahead of Yale with 25.
Junior captain Adabelle Ekechukwu had the top performance on the day in a much-anticipated showdown with Princeton's Julia Ratcliffe in the women's weight throw. While Ratcliffe entered the meet with the best mark in the league this season, Ekechukwu wasted no time one-upping her, launching a throw of 20.03 meters on her first attempt and finishing with a winning distance of 20.11 (65' 11.75"). With the effort, Ekechukwu becomes the first woman in Ivy League history to eclipse the 20-meter barrier in the weight throw.
After qualifying first in the 60 meter dash with a blazing time of 7.62, Danielle Barbian broke her own school record with a winning time of 7.59 in the finals of the event. Harvard's third school record came courtesy of Sydnie Leroy in the pole vault. The senior bested her own personal high of 3.70 meters with a clearance of 3.91 (12' 10"), edging out teammate Allie Pace, who cleared 3.90 at last year's HYP meet, for the school record.
Other winners for the women included Shannon Watt in the shot put (13.74m/45' 1") and Mary Hirst in the high jump, who upped her personal best with a clearance of 1.80 (5' 10.75"). Erika Veidis earned the win in the 800 with a time of 2:14.18 and Autumne Franklin took the 200 with in a time of 25.03, good for fifth all time in Harvard history.
The men dominated the throws, taking the top three spots in the shot put and the weight throw. Ben Glauser led the Crimson trio in the weight with a toss of 17.98 (59') while Dustin Brode took the shot put with a mark of 17.41 (57' 1.5"). Malcolm Mason Rodriguez's second-place leap of 7.19 (23' 7.25") in the long jump ranks eighth all-time in team history, and Damani Wilson's time of 6.85 in the 60 meter dash was good for second in the finals of the race. The mile belonged to Maksim Korolev, taking the race by nearly four seconds with a final time of 4:05.30.
With next weekend off, the Crimson now focuses on the Heptagonal Championships, hosted by Harvard Feb. 23-24 at Gordon Indoor Track.
