The Big Three Championship versus Yale and Princeton that took place last Saturday was probably the best preparation for what the Harvard men's and women's track teams will face this upcoming weekend at the Heptagonal Championship Meet.

The meet will crown the Ivy League Indoor Champion for the 1998-1999 season.

Last night, the Crimson loaded up its buses for the seven-hour haul to Cornell University where their fate will be decided.

"The Heptagonal meet is what we prepare for all year," said co-captain Joe Ciollo.

But the road ahead is not an easy one.

Princeton is the reigning indoor and outdoor track champion.

Last weekend, however the Harvard women squeaked by the Tigers with four points in dramatic fashion.

The men were not so lucky.

Hobbled by injuries, the Crimson men lost to Princeton by 53 points.

The men are now near total recovery, though, with the return of usual contenders such as junior middle-distance runner Darren Dinneen and sophomore sprinter Chuck Nwokocha.

But Princeton's roster runs deep and the Tigers are very talented.

Last weekend the Tigers swept the 800-meter, the pole vault and the high jump.

Neither Yale nor Harvard were allowed to score points in these events.

The men's team's success in the middle-distance and long-distance events depends on the ability and versatility of key point scorers like Ciollo, Dinneen, senior Scott Muoio, freshman John Cinelli and freshman Nnamdi Okike.

The men fared well in the sprints and hurdles last week with the help of freshmen Kobie Fuller and Kevin Worrell.

With the return of Nwokocha, the outlook is optimistic for these events.

The women could not find a better week to be peaking in performance.

The ladies are blazing through their season. Saturday's victory over Princeton gave them the steam they needed with which to head into Heptagonals.

"We are running really well right now," co-captain Margaret Schotte said.

Indeed they are.

Sophomore standout Brenda Taylor continues to make an impact in whichever race she is running. In the Big Three Championship last week, she earned points in four events for the Crimson.

"She scored practically half our points for us," Schotte said.

Sophomore jumper Dora Gyorffy is a huge favorite in the jumping events considering that she holds both triple and high jump records for the Ivy League.

Another sophomore who continues to dominate is distance runner Senta Burton, a runner who dominates the 3000-meter run.

Points are expected by versatile senior sprinter and co-captain Heather Hanson, who contributes in the 55-meter dash as well as the 200-meter dash.

Other points could be won in the throwing events, pole vault and the mile.

"Saturday was a wake-up call, a tough meet which taught us that we can pull a meet out against the top competition," Schotte said.

The Crimson track teams are looking to this weekend with one thing on their minds: victory.

If there is one meet for both the men and women to pull out, then this is the one.