BOSTON, Mass. – Senior distance runner
Maia Ramsden is a two-time national champion, as the New Zealand international captured the NCAA national championship in the women's mile at the 2024 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships. At the 2023 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Ramsden won her first national title in the 1,500m. Ramsden earned the mile title in style, breaking the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships meet record with a run of 4:25.13.
Ramsden is Harvard's fifth female NCAA indoor national champion in program history, joining
Meredith L. Rainey '90, Dora Gyorffy '02, Kart Siilats '03, and
Gabby Thomas '19.
The national title in the mile caps an incredible three weeks for Ramsden. At the end of February, Ramsden won the Ivy League title in the 3,000m, followed by her New Zealand debut at the World Indoor Championships on the first weekend of March, where she finished in the top-10 of the 1,500m.
In her three-year indoor track & field career with Harvard, Ramsden adds a national title in the mile to an already impressive resume. At last season's NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, Ramsden garnered first team All-America honors in the mile and the 3,000m, making her a three-time first team All-America selection. Ramsden also earned the Elite 90 award at last season's NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, recognizing the student-athlete with the best cumulative grade point average at the competition.
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Along with Ramsden, a pair of male jumpers featured in their respective events. First-Year
Tito Alofe competed in the men's high jump, while junior
Daniel Falode took the runway in the men's triple jump.
The day began with the men's high jump, as Alofe made his NCAA Indoor Championships debut Saturday afternoon at the TRACK at New Balance. The school record holder in the men's high jump, Alofe started strong, clearing the opening height of 2.10m (6'10.75") on his first attempt. The Peachtree City, Ga. native orchestrated a key moment at the next height, clearing the bar at 2.15m (7'0.5") on his third and final attempt. After successfully leaping over 2.18m (7'1.75"), Alofe bowed out of the competition at 2.21m (7'3"), a centimeter off his Harvard record. At the end of the competition, Alofe finished in a tie for ninth place, securing second team All-America honors in his first campaign with the Crimson.
In the triple jump, Falode featured at the NCAA Indoor Championships for the first time in his three-year Crimson career. A 2023 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships qualifier in the triple jump, Falode leapt to his best mark on his second attempt, recording a jump of 15.76m (51'8.5"). A native of London, England, Falode narrowly missed out on the finals, finishing nine centimeters behind ninth place. With his 10
th place finish, Falode earns second team All-America honors in the indoor triple jump for the first time in his Harvard career.
Harvard concludes the 2024 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships with two individual national champions. On the opening night of the meet, junior
Kenneth Ikeji became a two-time NCAA national champion, winning the men's weight throw crown.
HARVARD HIGHLIGHTS:
- Ramsden wins the 2024 NCAA national title in the women's indoor mile, becoming the fifth female indoor national champion in program history.
- On her way to the mile crown, Ramsden broke the meet record with a run of 4:25.13, surpassing the previous record set by Michigan State's Leah O'Connor in 2015 (4:27.18).
- Harvard finishes the 2024 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships with two individual national champions, Ramsden in the mile and Ikeji in the men's weight throw.
- Three Harvard track & field student-athletes have won national titles over the course of the 2023-24 academic year (Blanks, Ikeji, Ramsden) as the Crimson move on to the 2024 outdoor season.
- Alofe earned second team All-America recognition in the indoor high jump, finishing in ninth place after clearing the bar at 2.18 (7'1.75") at the 2024 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships.
- In the triple jump, Falode finished in 10th place, securing second team All-America honors with a jump of 15.76m (51'8.5").
UP NEXT:
With the 2023-24 indoor track & field season in the books, the Crimson turn its attention to the 2024 outdoor season, beginning the campaign in Houston, Texas at the Kirk Baptiste Spring Break Invitational on Thursday, Mar. 14.
For complete coverage of Harvard Track & Field, follow us on Twitter (@HarvardTFXC) and Instagram (@harvardtfxc).
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