Sophomore Johanna Doyle, who had an outstanding outdoor season after an injury-plagued indoor season, is also expected to place highly in the weight throw. With Grant’s pick-up of the shot put as a regular event last spring, and the return of sophomore Breeanna Gibson—a solid finisher in each of the throwing events—Harvard has the deepest group of throwers in the Ivies.
The jumps should also be one of Harvard’s strengths, with the return of junior Helena Ronner, who placed second in the triple jump behind Gyorffy and fifth in the long jump at Heps. Haggerty also expects that junior Alayna Miller, who has competed in jumps, sprints, hurdles and relays in her career at Harvard, will have a standout season.
“A lot of people never recognized how valuable [Miller] was to the team,” Haggerty said. “Other than Brenda, she’s been our high scorer. I think you’ll see her come into her own and get the recognition she deserves.”
In the pole vault, Harvard has brought in freshman Chelsea Connolly who jumped 12 feet in high school. She will place highly at Heps if she can reach that height consistently.
In the pentathalon, Harvard will be led by sophomore Sandra Venghaus, who placed at Heps last year, and junior Amanda Shanklin.
Haggerty said that one of the keys to Harvard’s season will be whether it can develop scoring in the mile, the 3000, and the 5000, which the Crimson has been lacking in recent years.
“We need to get two or three of [our mile-runners] in the high fours,” he said. “They know their work’s cut out for them. If we want to stay on par placewise [overall], we have to improve in those areas.”
Junior Melissa Tanner, who was Harvard’s top-finisher in the cross country season, was the Crimson’s lone scorer in the distances at Heps with a sixth-place finish and a 17:20.97 run in the 5000 last year. Haggerty believes her capable of cracking the 17-minute mark this year.
In the shorter distances, now that Taylor and longtime defending 400 champion Marna Schutte ’01 are out of the picture, the Crimson will turn to its veterans who have performed solidly at relays in the past.
Junior Kendra Barron will be a competitor in the 200 and 400. Barron is best-known for leading Harvard to victory in the mile relay during freshman year after passing three teams on her leg, despite losing a shoe during the race.
Junior Ashley Furst, a past scorer at Heps in individual events and relays, is in contention in the 800.
McGraw, who was consistent performer in the 400 and the relays during her sophomore year, suffered through an injury-plagued junior year with tendinitis. But she is going to give everything she has as co-captain of the team.
“Since I’ve had [tendinitis] for a while now, I know what I can and can’t do,” McGraw said. “I’m just going to run through anything, since this is my last year.”
Freshmen Tsitsi Gora from Zimbabwe is among Harvard’s top contenders in the sprints, and freshman Eleanor Thompson has been off to a good start in the 60-meter hurdles. Grant said that the freshmen have done an exceptional job adjusting to life as Harvard athletes.
“Their practices have been going surprising well,” Grant said. “Above all, you can have talent, and not use it. But everyone on this team is so dedicated.”
Harvard will now look to rise above the competitive field that was leveled by graduation in the past year.
“I think we all realize that our school and other schools all had a fabulous senior class, but now we’re all kind of an a clean slate,” McGraw said. “It’s going to make Heps especially exciting this year.”