The women's track team overcame the elements, not to mention injuries and academics, and squeezed out a 2 1/2-point victory over B.U. in the Women's Greater Boston Outdoor Track and Field Championship held Saturday at Boston College.

Harvard's tally of 78 1/2 avenged its loss to this winter's indoor champion B.U., which finished with 76. Boston College with 61 1/2 points. Northeastern with 36, Brandeis with 22 and Tufts with 10 filled out the field.

Performing in near-freezing rainy weather, the Harvard team succeeded without its full lineup. Standout Darlene Beckford, who won the national indoor 800-meter championship was out with a knee injury, and miler Mary Herlihy was sidelined with hip problems. And last but not least, a test sufficed to put Kim Johnson, the team's foremost shot putter, out of action.

Depth proved the decisive factor in the meet. Harvard won points in all but one event and coach Pappy Hunt said he was very happy with "how all the girls stuck together and raced so well."

The day started off easily enough with the Crimson piling up a 12-point lead during the field events and long-distance races. Crimson rack victories supplied the bulk of the points, but a fourth-place finish by Mary Ellen Finney in the shot put, and third-and fourth-place finishes by Debbie Markson and Beth Cooley in the discus provided essential points for the final tally.

Mary McCarthy's victory in the 10,000-meters. Ellen Gallagher's in the 3000. Linsley's meet record in the 1500 and Linda Yaeger's record in the 5000 gained Harvard a sweep of the distance races.

The women showed real determination in the 880 with Grace de Fries posting a 2:18 personal best for third, while her teammate Martha Clabby won, running a "hell of a race," according to Hunt.

Pappy called Clabby's 880 victory tremendous, saying the neck-and-neck struggle down the last lap was the "gutsiest race I've seen."

Another especially pleasing effort for Hunt was Lucy Ashley's third place in the 400-meter hurdles. A freshman competing in this event for only the second time, she posted a time of 68.5 seconds to demolish the former Harvard school record of 70 seconds.

Going into the final race B.U. was leading 76 to 72 1/2, but suprisingly B.U.--which actively recruits and whose British Olympian Sharon Colyear, won three events--could not field a 3200-meter relay team. Thus, the Crimson ended the meet easily, taking the relay by about half a lap.

Hunt called the relay team the best in New England, but how they would fare nationally may sadly enough never be known; the relay team qualified for the nationals, but the event takes place on May 20 in Texas--right in the middle of finals.

Nevertheless, they will be able to fulfill Pappy's boast of their mettle May 8-9 at the EAIAW meet.

The women close out their dual-meet season--they are 1-1--on Saturday with a finale against the Elis. Yale fields Pat Milton, who is devastating in the short sprints and a potential Olympian, but Hunt prognosticates a 65-62 victory for the Crimson.