Although runners from the Harvard men's and women's cross-country teams both posted individual first place finishes on Friday in New Haven, the teams suffered disappointing losses overall, the men in a dual meet with Yale and the women at the H-Y-P meet.

Junior captain Ed Baker and senior Dave Martin placed first and second, but the Crimson finished behind Yale, 25-35 (in cross-country, low score wins), to a highly talented Yale team, which took third through eighth places in the race.

For the women's team, senior Bethany Helms took first place and sophomore Leann Hymas took sixth, but, like the men, the rest of the Harvard women's team failed to place in the top 10, scoring 54 points total and losing to Yale, with 24 points, and Princeton, with 47.

Harvard Men

For the men's team, usually strong runners Baker (1st- 26:48.7) and Martin (2nd-26:49.4) led the way. Martin was recovering from being sick last week, and so he and Baker decided to run the race with a strategy that was different from their normal approach.

"Instead of taking the race out at a barn-burning pace like we usually do, Edward and I let the Yalies set the pace early on," Martin said. "Three miles into the race, feeling relaxed, we made a strong move and laid the proverbial smack down on the Bulldogs."

Baker took a lead over Martin with about three-quarters of a mile to go and ended up beating Martin just barely at the end.

"Time-wise it was my slowest race of the season, but strategy-wise it was my best race of the season," said Baker.