Yale Athletics

An unlikely duo teamed up this past weekend at the Cuyler Athletic Complex and Dwyer Track in New Haven: Harvard and Yale competed against across-the-pond foes Oxford and Cambridge in a tradition known as the Transatlantic Series. 

The Achilles Club, an athletic club for current and former members of Oxford University and Cambridge University, hosts the series. Every four years, the club arranges for Oxford and Cambridge students to compete against Harvard and Yale and against Penn and Cornell. 

The series began in 1894, predating the modern Olympics, which were first held in Athens, Greece, in 1896. Before 2019, the meet was held every two years. Harvard-Yale currently leads the score 30–12.

Harvard-Yale’s win streak continues for its third decade following this weekend’s victory, 22–15.  The last time they were bested by Oxford-Cambridge was in April 1993. 

“It is the sole occasion when traditional rivals Harvard and Yale unite as teammates in a track and field competition,” captain Dominique Romain ’25 wrote to the News. “Throughout the weekend, it was constantly emphasized that this historic meet has only ever been stopped for two things, COVID and a World War.”

The Bulldogs showed strong performances across all events, including jumps, sprints and throws. Conditions were less than ideal, Romain wrote, but the team still pulled through.  

Zoe Martonfi ’28 took advantage of the exciting race to secure first place in her second-ever 3000-meter steeplechase in a time of 10:45.99.

Clocking in the 400-meter dash under 50 seconds, Finnegan Quinn ’27 and Simon Jupp ’25, took the top 2 spots with first-year Camden Hickox ’28 right behind in third. 

Jame Grindle ’25 and Lucas Mylon ‘27 also took the top two in the 200 meters. 

On the field, captain Dominique Romain ’25 kicked off the meet, winning the long jump with a distance of 5.62 meters. Nathan Lebowitz ’27 and Nolan Recker ’26 also swept first and second in the discus throw, respectively. 

“It is always great to race on your home track,” wrote Romain. 

Makayla White ’26 represented the women’s throwing team well and secured second in the javelin, throwing 28.56 meters, just 24 hours after a two-day heptathlon.

On April 10 and 11, White and Alyssa Anderson ’28 headed to UMass Amherst to compete in the heptathlon, both athletes’ first time to take on such a demanding event. 

“The two-day competition can be incredibly taxing, so the more you can train your mind and body to handle that intensity during practice, the better prepared you’ll be when it counts.”

White finished in second place with a total of 4,542 points, setting a PR and earning third on Yale’s All-Time Top 10 list. She placed second in the javelin at the Transatlantic Series the next day. 

“Over the past eight months, I’ve taken on the challenge of learning seven completely new events, and it’s been incredibly rewarding,” White wrote to the News, “It’s like having one or two mini practices before the main workout to make sure every event gets attention throughout the week.”

White’s determination is sure to pay off. She is confident this could be her best chance at scoring in the Ivy League Championships.

“My next Heptathlon will be at the Ivy League Championships, where I’m aiming to break the school record and earn points for my team,” White wrote. 

Anderson finished with 3.080 points and a PR.

Next weekend, a select group will travel to Winston-Salem, N.C., for the Wake Forest Invitational on Friday, April 18. The rest of the Bulldogs will stay in New Haven for the Mark Young Invitational on Saturday, April 19.