For the first time this year, the Ivy League's "Big Three" went head to head.

And for the hundreth time, Harvard's Meredith Rainey proved she is head and shoulders above her competition.

But despite three first place finishes and two seconds. Rainey could not lead the Harvard women's track team to a sweep. The Crimson knocked off Yale, but fell to Princeton Saturday.

Competing in five events. Rainey won the 200 meter, 400 meter, and 800 meter races, placed second in the 55 meter sprint and anchored the women's mile relay to a second place finish.

"The 400 is really my best event right now," said Rainey, a sophomore who usually runs fewer than five events.

"I was happy to see how well Meredith ran," said Co-Captain Nancy Lutz.

In addition to Rainey, other Harvard members achieved notable highlights. Sophomore Manda Schossberger took the triple jump with a distance of 36-ft., 5 3/4-in. Freshman Megan Young scored a second place finish in the high jump with a 5-ft., 4-in. mark.

"We all gave it our best shot, but next week is when it really counts," said Lutz, referring to the upcoming Ivy League Championships February 28-29 at Cornell.

Despite a disappointing third-place finish for the men's team, outstanding individual performances offered a ray of hope for success in the lvies' showdown meet.

In the field events, Co-Captain James Russell won the 35-lb. throw with a distance of 62-ft., 1-in. Freshman Nick Sweeney captured the shot put at 50-ft., 3-in. and placed second behind Russell in the 35-lb. throw with a throw that spanned 55-ft, 10-in. Senior Chris Sullivan nabbed second place in the high jump with a distance of 6-ft, 9 1/2-in. Rutledge Simmons qualified for the IC4A's in the triple jump, leaping a distance of 45-ft, 10-in.

In the running events, freshman Tim Harte ran the mile in 4:15 for a fourth-place finish

Sean Turbitt, despite a recurring hip injury, has successfully contributed to the team throughout the season. In Saturday's meet, Turbitt earned points for the Crimson with a second-place finish in the high hurdles.