“Overall, they ran smart,” Saretsky said of the team. “I was just really pleased with the effort.”

Junior Jeanne Mack delivered one of the Crimson’s best performances, finishing fifth overall.

While the result in itself is laudable, Mack’s difficult journey back to running makes her finish that much more impressive.

“She had a lot of injuries freshman year, so her sophomore year she was sort of getting back into the swing of things, and then this year she’s really been training incredibly hard,” Ives said. “She had an amazing race.”

Nevertheless, senior Claire Richardson had the performance of the afternoon for Harvard, missing first place by only six seconds. She and Princeton senior Sarah Cummings, the overall winner, pulled away from the pack, with 14 seconds separating Richardson from the third-place finisher.

“I went ahead of [Cummings] with, I don’t know, a little less than a mile to go,” Richardson said. “I think what it comes down to is I just have to focus on finishing the race.”

Richardson and Cummings, both seniors, have established a rivalry over their three years competing against one another.

“I know that [Richardson] is excited to get out there and get a chance to beat [Cummings],” Ives said.

The Crimson’s performance against the Tigers this year marks a radical departure from the HYP meet two years ago.

In the 2008 contest, Princeton dominated, claiming the top six spots.

Despite losing again this time around, the marked improvement in performance is a good sign. The fact that Harvard, ranked fourth in the Northeast region, could keep up with the Tigers, ranked ninth nationally, bodes well for the team.

“This year we really mixed it up with Princeton for the first time in a couple years,” Ives said.

“That we can keep up with Princeton...was encouraging and exciting,” Richardson said. “This meet gives us a lot to work towards.”