The Harvard Crimson COMMENCEMENT 2023
Track and Field Breaks Records and Wins Titles By NADIA A. FAIRFAX
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CRIMSON STAFF WRITER
reaking records left and right, marking new tournament and Ivy League titles in its record book, and sending athletes across the country to take podium places at every meet, Harvard track and field has earned itself the honor of Team of Year — both on paper and in the hearts of its members — who will remember the 2022-23 season as a season like no other. The Harvard track and field/cross country team has had a historic year, winning four championships over the course of the three seasons. Their most recent win — the Outdoor Ivy League Heptagonal Championship victory — marks the first time in program history that both the Harvard men’s and women’s teams have won the meet. For the men’s team, it marks the first time they’ve won the outdoor Heptagonal championships since 1983 — 40 years ago. “I feel like we’ve just had an incredible year,” head coach Jason Saretsky reflected. “The team has progressed in so many ways and it’s really wonderful to see all their hard work and dedication paying off.” “We always try to emphasize enjoying the process,” he continued, “but at the same time it’s nice to be able to have the end result be what you hoped for as well.” The women’s team set a high standard for their success, beginning in the fall with a victorious season. In late October, the Crimson women raced to first place in the Ivy League Heptag-
onal Cross Country Championships with junior Maia Ramsden taking the lead for Harvard in the championships race. Ramsden won the individual title in the women’s 6K, with a time of 20:42.4 seconds. The team ended up scoring 54 points, leading by nine points more than the second place finisher and famed Harvard track and field rival,Princeton. The men’s team finished in second place in the Ivy League the fall. It was junior Acer Iverson for the men’s team who secured the individual title, running a time of 23:59.3 seconds for the men’s 8K to win first place. Sophomore Graham Blanks was the second place finisher, running 24:04.1 seconds to follow his teammate. Their first and second place finishes marked the first time since 1969 that the Crimson had two male runners take the gold and silver medals at Heptagonals. Harvard also had seven runners earn AllIvy Status during the Cross Country Heptagonals. At the conclusion of the meet, assistant head coach Alex Gibby was awarded the Ivy League Women’s Cross Country Coach of the Year. The Ivy League Champions, Ramsden and Iverson were also awarded the All-Ivy Award, which recognizes student-athletes who have contributed majorly to their team, as well as maintained a GPA of 3.0 or more. The men’s and women’s team overall was named All-Academic team by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCA). For Harvard, having a culture that
TEAM RECAPS 22 PAGE DESIGN BY SAMI E. TURNER—CRIMSON DESIGNER 12
COURTESY OF MIKE RILEY / HARVARD ATHLETICS
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Women’s Soccer “... no matter what the scoreboard says, we’re still in the game until the final whistle” CHRIS HAMBLIN Head Coach
