Autumne Franklin scored points for the Crimson women in the 200 Sunday (Photo: The Ivy League).
BOSTON – The field athletes proved to be the biggest point scorers for Harvard as the Crimson track and field team wrapped up its stay at the ECAC/IC4A Championships Sunday at the Boston University Track and Tennis Center. The women earned 20 team points to place 11th at the event while the men tied for 18th with 17 team points over the weekend.
After finishing second at the meet last season, Nico Weiler took his place atop the pole vault standings, winning the event handily Sunday. His clearance of 5.30m (17' 4.5") was .20 meters ahead of the second-place competitor and just .08 off of his personal indoor best. The win earned the Harvard men 10 team points in the competition.
Adabelle Ekechukwu nearly captured her second title in as many weeks in the weight throw, finishing second in the event for eight team points. Her mark of 19.46 (63' 10.25") was just .36 meters back of the winning mark, and she accomplished it on her third throw of the day Saturday. Teammate Mary Hirst matched her Heps finish in the high jump, locking down second place at the event with a clearance of 1.78 (5' 10"), just shy of her personal best.
In the women's 200, Harvard had two racers secure personal-best times. Gabrielle Scott placed 22nd with a time of 24.91, and Autumne Franklin neared the Harvard all-time mark with a blazing time of 24.36, qualifying her for the event finals. Franklin chipped in a point with an eighth-place finish in the finals, running a time of 24.50.
Hurdles specialist Jarvis Harris was one of 16 runners to qualify for the semifinals in the 60 hurdles, posting a time of 8.18 in Saturday's qualifying race. The sophomore failed to advance to Sunday's final, however, running a time of 8.19 in the semis. Junior Connor McCarthy finished the 60 meter dash in 6.99, earning him a place in the semis of the event as well. He improved his time to 6.90 in the semifinal, but the time was just short of the finals qualifying standard.
Damani Wilson ran a personal-best time of 21.66 in the 200, but a fast field of competitors kept him from advancing to the next round of the event. Wilson's mark represents the second-fastest time in program history in the men's indoor 200. Nephat Maratim led a quartet of Harvard finishers in the men's 800, running a time of 1:52.14, good for 11th in the race and a spot among the Harvard all-time leaders.
Sydnie Leroy had a good showing in the women's pole vault Sunday, posting a clearance of 3.75 (12' 3.5") to earn three team points in a sixth-place result.
Harvard also had student-athletes competing at the Last Chance Meet at the New York City Armory this weekend. Erika Veidis posted a personal best in the 800, burning to a time of 2:05.70, good for second all time in team history and tied for 16th in the nation in the event. Maksim Korolev flirted with the four-minute mark in the men's mile, finishing in 4:03.00, which stands as the fifth-fastest time in school history.
