BOSTON, Mass. – In its first meet of 2024, Harvard track & field impressed at the UMass Flagship Invitational. Hosted at the TRACK at new balance, four Crimson student athletes won first place honors at the UMass Flagship Invitational.
 
The day began on the track with sprinting events, as sophomore multi-event athlete Fabiola Belibi won the 60 hurdles with a personal-best time of 8.56. Belibi continues to show improvement in the event, as she set another PR in the 60 hurdles at the Joe Donahue Games in December.
 
In his first race of the 2023-24 season, sophomore sprinter Jonas Clarke earned first place in the 60m dash with a time of 6.81. Following the 60m events, junior sprinter Victoria Bossong won the 500m with a time of 1:11.84. Bossong's time of 1:11.84 ranks second in school history, as she owns the program record at 1:10.23.
 
In the field, junior pole vaulter Anastasia Retsa and first-year high jumper Tito Alofe each produced strong showings in their events. Retsa captured second place in the pole vault with a mark of 4.15m. Alofe followed up his historic Harvard debut with a first-place performance at 2.16m, sharing the honor with Rutgers' Sincere Robinson.
 
HARVARD HIGHLIGHTS:

• Four Harvard student-athletes earned first place honors at the UMass Flagship Invitational.
• Behind a personal-best time of 8.56, Belibi won the 60 hurdles.
• In his sophomore season debut, Clarke won the 60m dash with a time of 6.81 in the finals.
• Along with Clarke, senior sprinter Lance Ward took third place with a time of 6.91. Sophomore Ondrej Vesely ran to a fifth-place finish as well, posting a 6.97 in the finals.
• In her second meet of the year, sophomore sprinter Mfoniso Andrew placed fourth in the 60m dash with a new personal record of 7.66.
• Bossong won her second individual event of the year at the UMass Flagship Invitational, taking first in the 500m. At the HBCU & Ivy Challenge in December, the Cumberland Foreside, Me. native sat atop the podium in the 600m run.
• Andrew posted another top-three performance in the 200m dash, taking second place in the event. Senior sprinter Egbe Ndip-Agbor slotted in the top five as well, earing fourth place.
• Ward and senior sprinter Gregory Lapit went fifth and fourth in the 200m dash.

UP NEXT:
 
Harvard student-athletes will feature in two local meets next weekend. The Crimson will compete at the Collegiate Showdown on Friday, Jan. 19 and Saturday, Jan. 20 along with the Battle in Beantown at Boston University on Saturday, Jan. 20.

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