KAYLEY LEONARD, WOMEN’S SQUASH
Sunday afternoon in the championship game for the Howe Cup, the Harvard women’s squash team (15-0, 7-0 Ivy) defeated No. 2 University of Pennsylvania (13-2, 6-1 Ivy) to win the Crimson’s third-straight national championship with an important early win from No. 3 sophomore Kayley Leonard. The championship win also secured the Crimson’s second straight perfect season, and 38th consecutive win since losing to Penn in 2015. Following two strong opening wins by seniors Dileas MacGowan (No. 9) and Katie Tutrone (No. 6), Leonard came back from a 6-10 deficit in the fifth set, winning six consecutive points for an emphatic 12-10 win in the deciding match for Harvard to gain a three match advantage. Leonard’s five set win maintained the Crimson’s momentum into the second set of matches with Harvard securing a 7-2 win and another national championship.
SETH TOWNS, MEN’S BASKETBALL
As Harvard (18-7, 10-2) defeated Yale (14-10, 6-5) and Brown (12-16, 3-9), on Friday and Saturday respectively, freshman forward Seth Towns had a standout performance both nights. Friday night against Yale, Towns posted 18 points, his 15th time posting double-digits this season, as well as eight rebounds. The Columbus, OH native combined with freshman guard Bryce Aiken for 40 points against the Bulldogs.
Towns continued the double-digits streak by posting 16 points on Saturday against Brown with eight rebounds. The win against Bears gave the Crimson its best home record of 11-3 since 2014-15.
GABBY THOMAS, WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD
Harvard captured its fifth consecutive Ivy Indoor Heps Title at the NYC Armory, with a highlight performance from sophomore sprinter Gabby Thomas. She would shattering her own and school record in the 60-meter dash and 200-meter dash. Thomas won the 60-meter sprint for the second straight year with a winning time of 7.31 seconds, coming close to breaking her personal record of 7.29 seconds set the day before in the preliminaries. In the 200-meter dash, the Florence, MA native set two records in the event. Thomas set a new indoor school record as well as an Ivy League record with a time of 22.88 seconds.
