Young teams present the most intriguing of coaching challenges. While lack of experience can spell disaster, lack of expectations can lead to surprising success. With the opening of the indoor track and field season, veteran Coach Frank Haggerty '68, would soon learn how his men's and women's teams would respond.

Buoyed by strong but small senior and junior classes, the underclassmen consistently proved that poise does not necessarily depend upon age. Time and again, fantastic freshmen turned in solid performances, winning events and significantly contributing to the success of their teams.

The most noteworthy newcomer to the Crimson was freshman phenom Dora Gyorffy, whose gravity-defying ability helped her dominate the high jump event throughout the year. A national champion in her native Hungary, Gyorffy made an instant splash on American soil.

In her first meet representing Harvard this past December, she decimated two school records, clearing 6'2" in the high jump and soaring 40'8 1/4" in the triple jump. By the end of the indoor season, Gyorffy would add Heptagonal and ECAC victories to her list of accomplishments--which she would repeat during the outdoor season--as well as a third place finish at the NCAA championship indoor meet.

With the indoor season nearing its end, the team traveled to Princeton to compete in Heptagonals, which serves as the Ivy League championship meet. Both the men's and women's teams finished low in the overall standings--seventh and fifth, respectively. However, several Harvard athletes turned in strong individual performances.

Record: N/A

Coach: Frank Haggerty '68

Highlights: Dora Gyorffy wins high jump at ECACs, Heps, Penn Relays, places third at NCAAs

Seniors: Margaret Angell, Jenny Berrien, Jennifer Bolstad, Ali Goldkamp, Kevin Johnson, Justin Nowell, Heather Stroud

At ECACs, the women's conference championship meet, the team was again paced by Gyorffy's high jump win. Co-captains Ali Goldkamp and Margaret Angell, who qualified for the 800-meter and mile finals, respectively, also impressed. The 4x400-meter relay team, including Goldkamp, freshmen Brenda Taylor and Marna Schutte and junior Heather Hanson, also broke the school record with a time of 3:46.23.

On the men's side, junior co-captain Joe Ciollo set a personal record in the 500 meter with a time of 1:03.88, finishing fourth in the conference championship IC4As.

Spring break gave both teams a chance to regroup and re-energize before the beginning of the outdoor season. Completing a rigorous two-a-day practice schedule in the balmy Houston heat, each team looked with optimism toward a successful spring.

"The team's as strong as it [has] been in four years, and we're ready to do better than we did indoors," Angell said.

The Penn Relays marked the first of the major outdoor meets for Harvard, a national competition second only to the NCAAs in importance and prestige. Gyorffy again proved that she was equal to the task at hand, defeating defending national high jump champion Erin Aldrich of the University of Texas. For the men, freshman Chris Clever placed sixth in the hammer throw.

In early May, the Crimson competed in outdoor Heps. Although both teams placed sixth in the overall standings, several noteworthy individual performances stood out.