CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Harvard track and field begins its outdoor season this weekend, heading to the 63rd annual Texas Southern Relays Friday-Saturday, March 21-22.
The Crimson women are coming off a successful indoor season, as the squad won its second-straight Ivy League Heptagonal Championships behind four Ivy League champions – Most Outstanding Field Performer Adabelle Ekechukwu, junior Danielle Barbian, sophomore Autumne Franklin and freshman Nikki Okwelogu. Junior Erika Veidis qualified for the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, earning second team All-American honors.
The Harvard men accumulated the most points in program history at Heps, sending two athletes - seniors James Leakos and Maksim Korolev – to NCAA's. Korolev earned second team All-American accolades in the 3K and 5K, while Leakos was also recognized with second team honors.
Last Year
Harvard combined for six league titles at the 2013 Outdoor Heptagonal Championships, as the women locked up a third-place finish – its best since 2003 – and the men ranked fifth overall.
At the ECAC Championship, the Crimson women's squad posted its best result in team history, compiling 36 points to tie for sixth at the meet. The men earned 19 points on the weekend, good for a 16th-place result.
Last Time at TSU
The Crimson finished its 2012 spring break trip to Texas with a two-day stay at the Texas Southern Relays, combining to post a number of marks within the all-time top ten lists, as well as claim six event titles at the meet.
Harvard has started its outdoor season in Texas every year since 1988.
Rewriting History
The Crimson rewrote the record book during the indoor season, as four school records were broken and hope to do the same as the outdoor segment begins. Senior Maksim Korolev boasts both the Harvard and Ivy League records in the 3000 (7:51.52) and 5000 meter (13:42.56) events.
The women's 4x400 relay squad (Jade Miller, Autumne Franklin, Jackie Modesett and Gabrielle Scott) has twice broken the Harvard record, most recently at the Collegiate Invitational at the Armory with a time of 3:39.49.
Junior Danielle Barbian has also broken her own school record multiple times this season in the 60-meter dash, most recently at the Heptagonal Championships, crossing in 7.44 to take the Ivy title home.
Freshman Nikki Okwelogu won the Ivy League shot put title with a Harvard track and field program-best mark of 15.31m (50-02.75), breaking a Crimson record set on Feb. 16, 1991 (15.03m) on her first attempt.
