Despite a cold and rainy afternoon, the Harvard men’s and women’s track and field teams put in strong performances on Saturday in New Haven, Conn. While the men’s squad came up just short of the Bulldogs for the eighth year in a row, the Crimson women soundly defeated Yale.

The men suffered a slight stumble on their way to the upcoming Penn Relays and Heptagonal Championships, falling by a score of 86-77, while the women cruised to a 24-point victory, defending their title from last year, 93-69.

“The women competed hard, and it was great for them to come away with the win,” Harvard coach Jason Saretsky said. “It was great for the women to beat their rivals. Even though the men didn’t win, they put in a strong performance and significantly closed the gap. Last year, we probably lost by about 50 points, but this year it was only single digits.”

Despite the Crimson men’s eighth consecutive loss to the Bulldogs, the squad improved from past years with some strong showings on the weekend. Co-captain Jack Brady continued his dominance in the men’s shot put, taking first with a distance of 16.56 meters. Sophomore Brian Paison took first in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:50.58, and sophomore Steven Geloneck pulled off a second-place finish in the 100-meter dash, earning five and three points, respectively, for Harvard.

“We just had more depth and talent this year, and we were looking to utilize it,” co-captain Justin Grinstead said. “But it just wasn’t enough to pull off the win.”

The 5,000-meter run proved to be a successful performance for the Crimson, as senior Chas Gillespie and freshman Phil Galebach claimed the top two spots by a difference of 0.25 seconds. Yale’s Jake McKenzie slipped into the third position, while Harvard sophomores Michael Hoffman and Dan Stiles tied for fourth place in 15:08.39.

Grinstead and sophomore Robbie Paris took first and third, respectively, in the 400-meter hurdles. Grinstead edged out Yale’s Ted Galligan by just 0.3 seconds, with a time of 53.59.

“I was happy to take first in the event,” Grinstead said. “It’s still not the time I’m looking for, but it’s a slight improvement on the year and it’s promising.”

The Crimson women started off strong and never looked back as they sailed to a 93-69 win over the Bulldogs. In the shot put, freshman Shannon Watt, sophomore Lauren Barber, and freshman Brianne Holland-Stergar went one, two, three in the event, sweeping all nine points for Harvard.

“I was pleased overall with our performance,” said junior co-captain Thea Lee. “Everyone could’ve done better, but we were happy we defended our title.”

Freshman Ashtynn Baltimore also led her team to victory, earning two first-place finishes in the 100-meter hurdles—with a time of 14.49—and the long jump, with a distance of 5.93 meters. Juniors Lee and Claire Richardson and freshman Carlyle Davis also turned in strong results, with Richardson winning the 3,000-meter run and Davis and Lee taking second and third in the 800-meter run.

“I had a decent performance this weekend,” Lee said. “I wouldn’t say I was satisfied with my performance, but I was happy to advance the team.”

With the Yale meet behind them, the Harvard men’s and women’s track teams look to move forward to the Penn Relays in Philadelphia, Pa. this week and the Heptagonal Championships in Princeton, N.J. starting May 8.

For seniors like Grinstead, this May event is the last chance to put in a big performance.

“There’s going to be a lot of competition at Penn Relays, so we’re looking forward to getting into the mindset for Heps,” Grinstead said. “This is what we’ve been focusing on for the whole season, and we’re looking to finish off strong.”