Bean Town Times

Sophomore Harvard athletes recorded outstanding performances in their respective events at the Melbourne Track Classic on March 25 in Australia.

Weight competitors Alexander Kolesnikoff and Stephanie Ratcliffe made their best throws at the Melbourne Track Classic, with Ratcliffe placing second in the hammer throw and Kolesnikoff beating Australian national record holder and Olympian Damien Birkinhead in the shot put.

Ratcliffe’s hammer throw reached 198 feet, 11 inches to break a 19-year old Harvard record in the event, previously held by Natalie Grant. Kolesnikoff’s shot put reached 64 feet, 11.5 inches, a new school record and personal best.

Harvard alumna and Olympic hopeful Gabby Thomas won the 200 meters with a personal best of 22.17 seconds at the recent Texas Relays on March 27.

Thomas, who graduated with a neurobiology degree in 2019, recently won at the 2021 New Balance Grand Prix with a personal best of 35.73 in the 300 meters. She currently trains in Texas for her potential Olympic spot. Kolesnikoff and Ratcliffe expect to continue competing at Harvard.

There were no intercollegiate sports at any of the eight Ivy League universities this scholastic year.

To date, Kolesnikoff is the only Harvard thrower to top 19 meters (62 feet, 4 inches) in the Melbourne Track Classis shout put. He started the 2019-2020 season with two first-place finishes in the shot at the Crimson opener (57 feet 5 inches) and the Beantown Challenge (58 feet,1/2 inch).

Ratcliffe started a strong Crimson journey when she ranked third at the Ivy Indoor Heps in the weight throw and has recorded the second best mark (68 feet 4 inches) in school history earlier in the season at the H-Y-P meet.