M. Track’s Huyler Soars Over Competition

The men’s and women’s track teams continued their record-breaking years at the Harvard Select Invitational last weekend. The men produced three men’s NCAA Provisional qualifiers in the same meet for the first time taking first place. The women fell just short of matching the men’s first-place finish, slipping into second place after leading heading into the final event.
“Every meet is a stepping stone for the championship events at the end of the season,” said men’s head coach Nathan Taylor. “We have many guys performing well and qualifying for IC4As and the NCAAs already, which is very exciting.”
The men’s team won six events, had 20 IC4A qualifying performances and 3 NCAA Provisional qualifiers on the trip to Harvard.[img_assist|nid=27044|title=Setting the pace|desc=The men’s track team took first place in six events at the Harvard Select Invitational last weekend|link=node|align=left|width=|height=0]
Junior Garrett Huyler matched his school record of 7-1 to win the high jump and earn an NCAA Provisional qualifying spot. He originally broke the record at the Upstate Challenge and attempted to break his own record with a jump of 7-2 at Harvard. Despite not completing the 7-2 jump, clearing seven feet again has confirmed his place among elite company.
“That record definitely puts him in the top-5 or -6 high jumpers in the country,” Taylor said.
Senior tri-captains Muhammad Halim and Adam Seabrook each earned NCAA Provisional qualifying spots for the men by winning the triple jump with 50-8 1/4 and the 400 with a time of 48.38, respectively. In addition to taking home the qualifying spot, Seabrook’s victory in the 400 sparked the Red’s comeback victory in the Harvard Select Invitational.
“Some of the individual performances we’ve had this season are very impressive and really show how well we are doing and the potential our team has this year,” Taylor said.
The Harvard Select Invitational saw the men win over the second place UConn Huskies by a score of 163-152 and the women place second behind Brown by a score of 144-135. The men’s field was rounded out by Brown, Harvard and UNH while Harvard, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire filled the last three spots for the women.
“Brown and Harvard are both getting better,” said women’s head coach Lou Duesing. “All the Ivies are pretty much getting better, but we just have to worry about ourselves improving as the season progresses.”
The Red was successful against third-place Harvard, the host and only other Ivy team in the meet.
The women won two events and also had eight ECAC qualifying performances during the meet, but they were not able to produce any NCAA Provisional qualifying performances to match the men.
Sophomores Megan Williams, Jess Weyman, Kate Bachel and junior Tameka Royal combined for an impressive win in the mile relay to give the Red a 132-130 lead going into the last event, but Brown’s Akilah King produced an NCAA qualifying 41-6 in the triple jump to give Brown the victory.
The Red salvaged a second-place finish, however, as senior tri-captain Joan Casey and freshman Lindsay Myron finished fifth and sixth, respectively, in the final event to keep the women ahead of third-place Harvard.