Though his teammates have tried to poke fun at him for appearing in a magazine targeted at teenage girls, Harris has proved impervious to their taunts.

"It’s the most ridiculous picture of all time," sophomore hurdler Caleb Galoozis said. "But he’s way too proud of it, so bringing it up just inflates his ego."

Encouraged by his debut, Harris continued in the pursuit of his new hobby by auditioning for both the Eleganza and Identities fashion shows, held on campus in the spring.

All flashbulbs aside, Harris’ focus remains on the track. And despite his early success, Harris still remains a work in progress. By his account, he’s grown about an inch during his time at Harvard and added a significant amount of weight through the track team’s weightlifting program.

"Jarvis has all the makings of a great hurdler," Galoozis said. "He’s fast, he’s strong, he’s technically sound; but what’s impressed me most about him is that he sets very high expectations for himself and expects nothing less than to achieve them."

When he masters the finer points of his events, like refining his technique and adapting to the extra three inches added to hurdles in college track, there won’t be much left to hold him back.

"The sky’s the limit for Jarvis," Saretsky said. "He’s going to be a real force in the Ivy League, and if he wants to, he can even mix it up at the national level."