After a record number of athletes headed to NCAA
Championships a year ago, Harvard track and field restocks with 14
student-athletes in the Class of 2018.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Jason Saretsky, The
William W. "Bill" McCurdy Director of Track and Field/Cross
Country, announced that 14 men will be joining the ranks of the
Harvard cross country and track and field teams for the 2014-15
season. The class boasts six distance runners, five sprinters, two
hurdlers and one multi athlete.
"I am incredibly excited with the incoming men's class of
freshmen," said Saretsky. "Over the past few years, our recruiting
has been among the best in the nation and this year our men's class
is again a stellar group. We were able to bring in possibly the
greatest group of male sprinters in Harvard's history, possibly
even the Ivy League. When combined with the middle distance and
distance talent plus one of the best all-around athletes, I feel
our men are positioned to join the women in contention for Ivy
League Championships. There is a tremendous amount of talent and I
look forward to supporting all of our student-athletes as they
pursue their athletic and academic goals here at Harvard."
The freshman class will join the squad that is coming off its
highest point totaling at the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships
since 1983. The Crimson, combined with the women's team, sent a
record-number of athletes to both the NCAA Championships First and
Final Rounds.
RJ Ammons
Distance
Houston, Texas/Strake Jesuit College Prep
Personal Bests:
1600 Meters – 4:14.08
3200 Meters – 9:03.60
Before Harvard: Lettered in cross country and
track all four years … Captained cross country and track
teams as a senior … Led cross country team to a district
title four times … Led cross country to regional title three
times … Cross country team finished third at the 2013 state
meet and was the runner-up in 2011 … Three-time cross
country all-district and all-region … Two time all-state
runner … 2013 regional champion … Two time track
all-state honoree … 3,200m run champion from 2012-14
… 2013-14 1,600m champion … Founder and president of
Athletes Taking Action.
Jonas Aranda
Mid-Distance
Perth, Western Australia/Aquinas College
Personal Bests:
400 Meters – 49.95
800 Meters – 1:51.77
1500 Meters – 3:52.24
3000 Meters – 8:32.7
Before Harvard: Captained the 2013 Public
Schools Association team … 2011 1,500m run U16 National
Champion … 2012 1,500m run U17 third-place finisher …
Took second in the U17 800m run … 2013 Australian
Youth Olympic Festival 800m run and 1,500m run runner-up …
2013 U18 state cross country champion … PSA Open record
holder in the 1,500m run and 400m dash.
Andrew Bolze
Multi
Hingham, Mass./Hingham High School
Personal Bests:
400 Meters – 47.76
Long Jump – 24-3.75
Before Harvard: Captained the indoor and
outdoor track and field team senior year … 2014 Boston
Globe All-Scholastic Track and Field Athlete of the Year
… Two-time Boston Globe and Boston Herald
Indoor Track All-Scholastic selection … Five-time Patriot
Ledger All-Scholastic … All-American in the long jump and
400m… Three-time New England Champion … Three-time
Massachusetts All-State champion and meet record holder …
Holds the New England record in the long jump … Holds the
state record in the 300m … Qualified for the New Balance
National Outdoor and Indoor Track and Field Championships in the
100m, 200m, 300m, 400m, and long jump … Currently holds 12
Hingham High School records … George Eastman Young Leaders
Award from the University of Rochester.
Louis Colson
Distance
Alexandria, Va./Thomas Edison High School
Personal Bests:
1600 Meters – 4:14.26
3000 Meters – 8:22.91
Before Harvard: Lettered all four years in
cross country, indoor track, and outdoor track … Captained
cross country team from 2011-13 … 2013-14 Washington
Post All-Met Runner of the Year … 2012-13
Washington Post All-Met selection in cross country and
indoor track … 2013 All-Run Washington Team … 2013
Virginia Gatorade Runner of the Year … 5A Virginia State
cross country champion 2013-14 … Foot Locker cross country
national qualifier ... 2013 Virginia State 3,200m run champion in
indoor track … 2013 indoor track All-American … 2014
Virginia State 3,200m run champion in outdoor track… 2013-14
Washington Post Michael L. Trilling Award winner.
Jay Herbert
Hurdles
Ticonderoga, N.Y./Ticonderoga High School
Personal Bests:
55 HH – 7.31
60 HH – 7.99
110 Meter Hurdles – 14.06
Before Harvard: Captained the indoor and
outdoor track and field teams as a senior … 2014
All-American in the indoor 60m hurdles … 2013-14 New York
State 55m hurdles champion … 2012-13 New York State 110m
hurdles champion … 2014 indoor Section 7 Sportsmanship Award
Winner … Finished sixth overall at the 2014 New Balance
Indoor Nationals in the 60m hurdles.
Ben Huffman
Distance
Waxhaw, N.C./Providence Day School
Personal Bests:
Mile – 4:18.06
3200 Meters – 8:58.84
5000 Meters – 15:03.22
Before Harvard: Four-time letterwinner in cross
country … Also ran indoor track for two years and outdoor
track for three years … CISAA All-Conference selection three
times … NCISAA All-State honoree from 2011-13 …
NCISAA state champion in 2012 and 2013 … Gatorade NC Runner
of the Year … Nike Cross National qualifier …
Footlocker cross country national qualifier … Led team to
CISAA conference championships from 2010-13 … NCISAA state
champions three-straight years … CISAA track conference
champions in 2012 and 2014.
Matthew Hurst
Sprints
Newport Beach, Calif./Corona del Mar High School
Personal Bests:
200 Meters – 21.61
400 Meters – 47.79
Before Harvard: Lettered in track and field
three years and cross country for one … Two-time Corona del
Mar team MVP and Orange County Register All-County track
& field team … Won the 400m dash at the 2013 and 2014
Orange County Championships ... Finished 12th in the
400m dash at the 2014 California Interscholastic Federation State
Championship … Won the 400m dash at the 2014 Arcadia
Invitational Open Division and the 2013 Orange County Track and
Field Championships … Won the Pacific Coast League 400m dash
and set the meet record … Holds the Corona del Mar High
School 200 and 400m dash record … AP Scholar with
Distinction … California Scholastic Federation member.
Malcolm Johnson
Sprints
Sylvania, Ohio/Sylvania Southview
Personal Bests:
60 Meters – 6.76 (I)
100 Meters – 10.59
200 Meter – 21.34
Before Harvard: Lettered four years in track
and field … Two-year team captain … Three-year team
MVP … Led squad to three NLL Championships … 2012
All-American in the 200m at the USATF Junior Olympic National
Championship … 2013 first team All-State in 100m and 200m
… Fourth place in the 60m at the 2014 New Balance National
Indoor Meet … Won the 200m and the 60m, breaking the state
record in the 60m, at the 2014 State Indoor Track meet at the
University of Akron … NLL Champion and All-City team in the
100m and 200m from 2011-13 … Holds the school record in the
100m, 200m, and relay teams … Lettered in football for three
years and one year in basketball.
Max Mondelli
Sprints
London, England/King's College School
Personal Bests:
60 Meters – 6.85 (I)
100 Meters – 10.75
200 Meters -21.77
Before Harvard: Posted top times of 10.75 in
the 100m and 21.77 in the 200m … Took silver in the 100m
dash in the South of England Championships and the English Schools
Championships … 2014 Surrey team captain … 2012 U17
Men 100m Surrey Schools Champion … Fifth overall at the 2012
English Schools Track and Field Championships … 2012 silver
medalist in the U17 100m dash at the South of England Athletics
Association Track and Field Championships … 2013 Surrey
Schools Champion in the U20 100m dash at the Surrey Schools
Championship.
Gabe Montague
Middle Distance
Newton, Mass./Newton North
Personal Bests:
1000 Meters – 2:25.45
Mile – 4:14.13
Two Mile – 9:17.38
Before Harvard: Lettered in cross country for
three years and indoor and outdoor track and field all four years
… 2013 cross country Large School State Champion …
2013 Boston Globe Runner of the Year … 2012-13 Bay
State Conference MVP … Holds course records in Newton,
Natick, and Norwood … 2014 indoor state champion in 1000m
run … Finished the 2014 season as national leader in the
1,000m run … Anchored sprint medley relay to sixth-place
finish at New Balance Indoor Nationals … Holds the Bay State
Conference record in the mile … 2013 All-American
… 2013 outdoor state championship runner-up in 800m
run … 2013 Bay State Conference Champion in the mile
… Six-time Bay State Conference All-Star … Winner of
National Association for Music Education Young Composers National
Competition.
Alexander Moore
Sprints
Tacoma, Wash./Charles Wright Academy
Personal Bests:
100 Meters – 11.03
200 Meters - 22.31
400 Meters - 49.50
Before Harvard: Lettered all four years in
track and field … Captained the track and field team as a
senior … Two-time team MVP … Led team to Nisqually
League Championship from 2011-13 … Led team to District 1
Championship in 2012 … 2011 Nisqually League Most Valuable
Athlete of the Year … 2012 1A State Champion in the 100m and
200m … 2013 1A State Champion in the 400m … Holds the
school record in the 100m, 200m, and 400m … Lettered all
four years in football … Three-time All-League first team at
wide receiver, middle linebacker and running back … 2012 AMC
10 School Winner … 2013 RPI Medal Winner.
Ahmed Obed
Sprints
Camarillo, Calif./Adolfo Camarillo
Personal Bests:
100 Meters – 10.66
200 Meters – 21.07
Before Harvard: Lettered three years in track
and field … 2013 Camarillo Most Valuable Athlete …
2012 Outstanding Sprinter Award … Led team to League
Championship after a 23-year drought … Don Greene
Invitational and Ventura Invitational Stadium record holder in the
200m … 2014 Mt. Sac Relays Invitational 200m champion
… AP Scholar.
Randy Raymond
Hurdles
Willington, Fla./Suncoast Community High School
Personal Bests:
300 Meter Hurdles - 39.59
Before Harvard: Lettered in track and field all
four years … Captained team as a senior … Led
Suncoast Community HS to four-straight district championships
… 2012-14 Class 2A District 3 300m hurdles champion
… 2012-13 Class 2A District 3 second place finisher in
the 4x400m relay … Qualified for 2012-13 state meet in
4x400m relay.
Tyler Spear
Distance
Baltimore, Md./Loyola Blakefield
Personal Bests:
3000 Meters – 8:32.51
3200 Meters – 9:10.70
Before Harvard: Captained the cross country and
track and field teams as a junior and senior … Two-time Nike
Cross Nationals All-Southeast Region honoree … Five-time
Baltimore Sun All-State cross country and track and field
selection … 13-time All-MIAA honors in cross country and
track and field … Three-time RunningMaryland.com State first
team selection … Finished 72nd at the 2014 Nike
Cross Nationals … 2014 Jesuit Schools indoor track champion
in the 3,200m run … 2013-14 Jesuit Schools Cross Country
Championship runner up … Placed 22nd nationally
in the two mile run … Top ranked in the indoor 3,200m run
… Recipient of the 2014 Loyola Blakefield Dan McNeal
Award.
