Princeton University Athletics
Tora Harris Sets Nation's High Mark as Princeton Finishes Second at HEPS
May 12, 2002 | Men's Track and Field
May 12, 2002
Annapolis, Md. - Tora Harris cleared 2.31m (7'7") at the 2002 outdoor Heptagonal championships as Princeton finished in second place, two points shy of the meet champion, Pennsylvania. Penn won the final event, the 4x400m relay, to earn a total of 131 points. The Tigers finished second in the race and finished the championships with 129 points in one of the most exciting Heptagonal championships in recent history.
Harris' jump is the best collegiate mark, this season, the highest jump by an American this year and ranks Harris as the No. 2 high jumper the world. It also breaks the existing Heptagonal record of 2.27m (7'5.25"), which Harris set last season.
Harris and Matt Hemmingway were the only two Americans to clear 2.30m (7'6.5") this season and were amongst two other athletes to clear that height, Staffan Strand of Sweden and Mark Boswell of Canada. Harris cleared 2.30m at the Penn Relays on April 27. Harris, 2.31m mark is a new Princeton record and now sets him as the top American high jumper. The NCAA record is 2.37m (7'9.25") set in 1989 by Hollis Conway of Southern Louisiana. Jacques Freitag of South Africa is the world's No. 1 ranked high jumper. He cleared 2.37m this year on March 23.
Princeton rallied from a 25-point deficit, with four events remaining, to pull equal to the Quakers entering the 4x400m relay, the final race of the championships. The 4x400m relay of Mike Kopp, Jon Karakoulakis, Josh Kauke and Ryan Smith finished the relay in 3:11.73, 1.36 seconds behind the team from Penn that crossed the line at 3:10.37 to take the first in the relay and win the 2002 outdoor Heptagonal championship.
Smith captured the 800m title, crossing the finish line in 1:49.00. Last season Smith finished second in the 800m at the Heptagonal championships.
Jonathan Kieliszak and Jonathan Bell finished fifth and sixth in the 1,500m with times of 3:53.65 and 3:53.99. Jeff Key finished second in the 400m hurdles with a time of 53.02 and Tristan Colangelo crossed the finish line at 8:56.86 to take second place in the steeplechase.
The 4x100 relay team of Adrian Mullings, Barnett, Banton, and Austin Webb finished third with a time of 41.19. David Gray finished fourth in the triple jump, registering a mark of 14.56m (47'9.25"). paul Lyons finished in eighth place of the discus with a mark of 46.46m (152'5")
Dwaine Banton finished third in the 100m dash with a time of 10.64 and teammates Cameron Atkinson and Pat Schottel finished sixth and eighth in the race with times of 10.89 and 11.03. Solomon Barnett finished fifth in the 200m dash with a time of 21.67
Colangelo and Klieiszak finished 8th and 9th in the 5,000m with times of 15:07.62 and 15:08.01.
2002 Outdoor Heptagonal Championships Final Standings
1. Penn 131 2. Princeton 129 3. Harvard 98 4. Cornell 69 5. Dartmouth 59 6. Navy 56 7. Brown 29 8. Columbia 26 9. Yale 23Men's Results, please click here
Women's Results, please click here
For a complete Heptagonal championship preview, please click here
For a Heptagonal championship schedule, please click here