The desire to trounce a rival often serves as ample motivation for athletes, but sometimes it doesn’t hurt to have a little extra incentive.

Competing at Yale on Saturday, the Harvard men’s and women’s track teams were vying not only for the victory but also for individual places on a combined traveling team that will head to England this summer to compete in the Oxford-Cambridge meet.

The men captured the victory by 20 points, while the women fell short, despite a solid performance in the field and hurdling events.

The first-place finishers from each event are guaranteed a spot on the traveling team. Coaches from both teams will select the additional participants today.

Men

Co-captain John Traugott led the way for the Harvard men with first-place finishes in the 800 and 1500 meters.

He was also the recipient of the treasurer’s award as the meet’s most outstanding performer.

“During my races, I was just thinking about staying relaxed,” Traugott said. “I just flashed some images of the team in my mind, and that got me going. I felt the energy from my teammates and they brought me in strong.”

The Crimson had season bests across the board, with 12 first-place finishes on the day.

Harvard shone in the field events, recording five victories. Senior Mike Armstrong won the discus, while sophomore Kris Hinson finished second in the shot put.

The freshman trio of Kevin Duffy, James Rhodes and Sam Laine dominated the javelin, hammer and triple jump, respectively. Laine’s jump of 14.91 meters and Rhodes’ throw were both personal bests.

“Having my family there watching me helped to motivate me,” Laine said. “During the competition, I just wanted to concentrate on maintaining my posture and holding each phase for as long as possible.”

Senior Chris Lambert breezed to victories in the 100 and 200 meters and finished the meet with a remarkable anchor leg for the mile relay team.

Trailing by about 10 meters at the start of his leg, Lambert ended up crossing the finish line 10 meters ahead of the Yale runner.

“I had a good moment [in the relay],” Lambert said. “But the conditions today were hard for sprinting. We had some pretty bad headwinds, plus they kept on messing up with the race timing.”