AUSTIN, Texas – The second day of competition at the NCAA Championship meet did not disappoint, as the Crimson got their second individual NCAA Champion in
Stephanie Ratcliffe in the hammer throw.
Sarah Omoregie earned second team All-America honors in the shot put and
Maia Ramsden set a school record to advance to the final in the 1,500m run.
Setting a new Harvard, Ivy League and Australian national record, Ratcliffe threw 73.63 meters (241' 7") to win Harvard's first ever NCAA title in the women's hammer throw. Along with
Kenneth Ikeji's win in the event yesterday, Harvard has become the third team to ever sweep both the men's and women's hammer throws in the same year. The previous two sweeps occurred in 2000 and 2011. With a combined distance of 497' 3", Ikeji and Ratcliffe's combined throws are 30 feet further than the previous two sweeps.
Both Ratcliffe and Ikeji represent Harvard on their national leaderboards, as Ratcliffe holds the Australian national record and Ikeji holds the British U23 record and sits third on the all-time national list.
Harvard Championship Results
• Ratcliffe only needed one throw to claim the championship title in the hammer throw. Her first throw was the furthest of the day as no one else was able to come close to taking away the title. Her second furthest throw would also have claimed the gold medal.
• Omoregie continued to represent Harvard throws on the big stage in the shot put, following Ratcliffe's trend from earlier in the day where her first throw was her best of the night. She started the competition with a 16.90m (55' 5.50") throw that held her place and finished 16th in the nation, earning Second Team All-America honors.
• Ramsden ran an exciting race in the 1,500m semifinal, saving enough energy to finish the race with a huge kick over the last 100 meters and take second in her semifinal heat with a school record time of 4:09.81. She crossed the finish line neck in neck with four other runners to earn the automatic qualifying spot in Saturday's final.
Up Next
Day three of the NCAA Champinoship meet will feature
Izzy Goudros in the heptathlon and
Graham Blanks' return to race in the 5000m run. Goudros will first compete in the 100m hurdles at 3:45 p.m. EST. Harvard will wrap up competition after the men's 5000m run at 10:55 p.m. EST.
