Bulldogs Begin Transatlantic Tour in Birmingham

BIRMINGHAM, U.K. — The Yale men’s and women’s track & field teams kicked off their Transatlantic Tour at The Big Five meet on Saturday. Competing as one team alongside rivals Harvard, the Bulldogs took on another combined Ivy team consisting of Penn and Cornell as well as the University of Birmingham, who hosted the event. 

The action kicked off in the 400m hurdles, with Peyton Parker placing sixth in 1:07.64. Shortly afterwards, in one of the highlights of the day for Yale, Abrianna Barrett soared over a season’s best height of 1.63m to take a dominant victory in the high jump. Elsewhere in the women’s field events, Bharathi Subbiah finished ninth in the women’s long jump thanks to a 5.42m leap. Teammate Eileen Yang, whose preferred event is the pole vault, also competed in the long jump, placing 14th after a 4.19m effort. 

Back on the track, several Bulldogs showed they’re over any lingering jet lag from the trip with a slew of strong performances. Kit Colson finished seventh in the men’s 100m thanks to an 11.26 second clocking, which no doubt warmed him up well for the relay later on. On the women’s side, Claire Archer set a PR in the 3000m on her way to eighth as she dipped under the 10 minute barrier with a time of 9:59.49. Teammate Carmel Fitzgibbon also demonstrated remarkable fitness as she placed second in the 1500m in a PR of her own, 4:25.82, being beaten only by a Great Britain international running for Birmingham. Cross country captain Kyra Pretre also ran well as she finished eighth in 4:35.62. 

In the throws, newly elected men’s track & field captain for 2024 Matt Appel came a close second in a unique mixed discus throw competition, with a best of 53.96m. Also throwing for Yale in that event were Nolan Recker, who finished third in 46.73m, and Chris Ward, who ended up seventh in 43.13m. Ward doubled back later on his preferred event — the shot put — where he placed third thanks to a 16.60m effort. 

Much of the Bulldogs’ success on the day came in the relays, where Yale and Harvard athletes combined to form one squad against their competition. Molly Harding got the ball rolling early on as she anchored the women’s 4x100m team to third place with a time of 49.50 seconds. Harding, along with hurdles runner Parker, secured another third place in the 4x400m later in the afternoon. On the men’s side, Colson, Jacob Kao and James Grindle combined to take the win in 41.27. That wasn’t Kao’s only relay victory of the day, however, as he returned in the men’s 4x400m shortly afterwards, with the team breaking the tape in 3:14.72 thanks to Kao and Aaron Miller‘s contribution. Interestingly, the meet directors also opted to include distance medley relays. The Harvard-Yale team placed fourth in the men’s DMR, as Winslow Atkeson lead them out on the opening 1200m leg, before Drake Prince put in a strong effort over 800m, with Calvin Katz bringing the team home in a time of 10:04.17. 

The victory in the men’s 4x400m, the final event of the day, ensured that Yale leaves Birmingham on a high. Nonetheless, the team’s focus now quickly shifts to its upcoming competition against the Achilles Club, which comprises the University of Oxford and Cambridge University. That event is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, with the Bulldogs yet again teaming up with Harvard in a bid to take down their British counterparts. Until then, the team will be busy traveling to both universities and spending valuable time getting to know their opponents and enjoying the cultural exchange that makes this trip so special. 

Full results from today’s competition can be found here.