The men's and women's track and field teams both competed at the Harvard Select Meet on Saturday afternoon. The women's team earned second-place out of four with solid showings across the board. The men had several strong individual performances, but as a team finished fourth out of five teams.
Leading the way for the women's team was Nicole Burns '09, who competed in the 200-meter dash and the 400-meter dash. In the 400m, Burns ran to a first-place finish in 55.53 seconds, just over half a second ahead of Cornell's Jessica Weyman.
"I was satisfied with the 400. I think I held back a little, and I could've run faster, but the most important thing was to beat Cornell," Burns said. "I wanted to hit 55 flat, and I was a little short of that, but it's a good start early in the season."
Burns also turned in a second-place finish in the 200m with a time of 25.29, but was disappointed with her race, particularly her start.
"I wasn't happy at all with the 200 - I was a little hesitant off the blocks," Burns said.
The Bears also dominated the 800m in which Samantha Adelberg '11 and Roseanne Fleming '12 managed a one-two finish, with times of 2:10.29 and 2:14.89, respectively. Galia Dietz '12 was close behind in 2:16.49, good enough for fourth place.
Kesley Ramsey '11 continued the strong middle-distance running for Brown, earning a second-place finish in the mile with a time of 5:00.59.
The Bears also got strong contributions from the field athletes, led by Brynn Smith '11, Danielle Grunloh '10 and Natasha Smith '11, who finished first, second and fourth in shot put, respectively. Natasha Smith, a pentathlete who is currently limited to shot put due to a foot injury, threw 11.70m, while Grunloh threw 13.73m, and Smith took the win with a toss of 14.76m".
"Harvard has a really good circle, so traditionally I've been able to throw well there," Smith said. "I was really happy with how the team's placing turned out."
Smith also competed in the weight throw, where she finished fourth with a distance of14.93m, behind Molly Hawskley '09, who came in third with a personal-best throw of 50'.
"Hawksley had a huge (personal record) this weekend, and she's been working so hard, so that was very exciting for her," Smith said. " The throwing squad has such great potential," she added.
The jumpers performed well, too, led by Grace Watson '11, who grabbed second place in the high jump by clearing 1.70m. Anna Cook '11 also had a strong day in high jump, finishing fourth at 1.55m. Rachel Biblo '11 rounded out the field performances with a pair of fourth-place finishes, with jumps of 5.46m in the long jump and 11.23m in the triple jump.
The top performer on the men's side was Matt Jasmin '09, who continued his excellent season with a first-place finish in the 60m hurdles, in a time of 8.18.
"I didn't have the greatest start, but I'm happy with how it turned out," Jasmin said. "Getting the win definitely helps my overall confidence with my running, and boosts the team's confidence, too."
Marc Howland '11 claimed third place in the 60m dash in a time of 6.98, drawing praise from Jasmin.
"Marc Howland ran great," Jasmin said. "He's come in the top five in a few meets now, and it's good to see him do well."
Brown also had a strong showing in the mile, where Duriel Hardy '10 and Anthony Schurz '12 finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in 4:17.45 and 4:19.21.
The only points in the field came from Andrew Chapin '10, who jumped 14.47m - good for second place in the triple jump.
Though it is early in the season, both squads already have their sights set on the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships, which will take place at Harvard on Feb. 28 and Mar. 1.
"We've definitely got a long way to go, but we're getting there," Jasmin said. "Our team has a lot of potential, but we need to be more confident."
The women's team, which finished second at the 2008 Indoor Heps, will have to step up in order to beat Cornell, who took first place as a team this weekend, but Brynn Smith is confident that the Bears will see the pay-off from their training schedule come championship season.
"Every single one of the girls is working hard right now, and we're at a weird point in the season where, while we want to be competitive, all of our training is focusing on Heps," she said. "People might not be seeing the times or distances that they want to see right now, but I know it's going to be there."
"This team has the best heart out of all the teams in the Ivy League," she said.
