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Yale’s track and field teams headed to Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Saturday to face two of their biggest rivals — Harvard University and Princeton University.

Princeton placed first in both the men’s and women’s competition, with the men scoring 159 points and the women coming in with 149. Harvard’s men and women both finished in the middle of the pack, scoring 107 in the men’s division and 127 in the women’s. Both Eli teams brought home third, with both men and women scoring an even 70 on the day.

 Despite their last place finish, the coaching staff highlighted the Bulldog teams’ performances in a competitive field.

“Harvard and Princeton are the two best teams in the league — Princeton’s men are ranked 8th in the nation,” head coach David Shoehalter told the News. “Our performances, our focus, and our competitiveness was much improved over the previous week and as a result, our marks improved.”

Although overall team finishes have not been stellar thus far into the season, many of the athletes still emphasized the effort they have put into their training and competitions.

Iris Bergman ’25, a mid-distance runner for the Elis and a member of the first place 4×800 relay this past weekend, expressed continued confidence after this past weekend.

“The immense talent of our team and the hard work we’ve been putting in every day since we stepped foot on campus this fall were not shown in our team results from this past weekend,” Bergman told the News. “A huge part is trusting the process and celebrating the little wins while continuously striving for more. I think it’s crucial to be positive and supportive while also communicating to others that if you keep doing the right things and train smart, the results will follow.”

In the women’s competition, the Bulldogs’ 4×800 meter relay team  — Bergman, Linde Fonville ’26, Samantha Friborg ’23 and Kyra Pretre ’24 — took first place. The group beat out Princeton by 2 seconds with a finish of 8:59.90. Other notable finishes include Abrianna Barret’s ’24 third place finish in the high jump and Carmel Fitzgibbon’s ’26 fourth place finish in the 3000m run.

When asked about her contributions to the team in her first year, Fitzgibbon emphasized both the opportunity to help her team.

“Of course, I am always happy when my personal efforts also translate into points for the program, and it is very rewarding,” Fitzgibbon wrote to the News. “My running experience thus far has been full of ups and downs, so I have tried to enter this new chapter of my career with a longer term view, and take pride in the work I do on a daily basis, and let the fitness and growth come in time.”

On the men’s side of events, Brian Di Bassinga ’26 finished third place in the triple jump, Aaron Miller ’25 took second place in the 400m dash and Braden King ’26 got fourth place in the mile.

Matt Appel ’24 continued to shine in the field events. Finishing second in both the shot put and the weight throw, Appel continued a string of impressive performances so far this indoor season.

The meet came in the same week as Yale’s throwing coach Duke Taylor’s birthday. When asked about how Taylor’s coaching has influenced him this year, Appel had nothing but praise.

“He makes a point of making sure that every practice, warm up, and competition throw we take gets some sort of feedback in terms that are easier for us to internalize and put into our next attempts,” Appel wrote to the News. “He’s also someone who always brings the energy and lifts team morale. Overall he’s been a great role model and I couldn’t be happier to have him as my coach.”

Yale’s teams will split up this weekend, with some heading to Harvard’s Crimson Elite meet on Friday, Feb. 3 while others will head to Boston University’s David Hemery Valentine Invitational on Saturday, Feb. 4.