NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- The Yale women's track and field team will travel up to Harvard's McCurdy Outdoor Track this Saturday to compete in the historic Harvard-Yale vs. Oxford-Cambridge meet. This competition is older than the modern day Olympics and provides an amazing opportunity for the Bulldogs to test their skills against their international peers. The Harvard-Yale squad has not lost the meet since 1993 and will look to continue their streak on Saturday. While the competition is sure to be strong, the new friendships formed off the track and field will make the experience truly memorable for all who partake. 

Eighteen women from Oxford and Cambridge Universities will line up against the Bulldogs and the Crimson for an action-packed day of competition. While the transatlantic series usually occurs every two years with the Bulldogs traveling to England once every four years, the Bulldogs will compete in both the US and England this year. Because the pandemic made it unsafe for Oxford and Cambridge athletes to travel to the United States in 2021, they will compete here this weekend and the top scoring athletes from Harvard and Yale will earn trips to the UK for this June. The only way to guarantee a spot for the international trip is to win an event, and the remainder of the travel team will be selected in a deliberation by the Harvard and Yale head coaches.  All athletes from both teams have an opportunity to compete in the meet this weekend.

The last time this qualifying meet was conducted on US soil was at the 2019 Harvard-Yale dual meet at the Dewitt Cuyler Complex in New Haven. At this meet, senior captain Aliya Boshnak and senior Samantha Friborg qualified for the transatlantic trip as first years. Due to taking gap years during COVID, they will have the unique opportunity of potentially qualifying again. For the rest of the team, this opportunity to qualify comes once in their college experiences. 

The competition will begin this weekend with the women's hammer throw at 12:00 p.m. and will conclude with the 4x400m relay at 3:45 p.m. Following the meet, the Bulldogs will change into formal attire to attend a banquet with Harvard, Oxford and Cambridge athletes. It will be a great opportunity to make connections and form lasting international friendships.