PHILADELPHIA -- This Sunday, Yale finished up Day Two of their Ivy Championships campaign. After a promising first day of competition, the Bulldogs hoped that they could make the most of many points opportunities. Yale had several finalists on the men's side, and on Day Two personal records -- and a school record -- were broken. Many of those performances came from returning athletes, which brings some promise into next year. Matt Appel was, as usual, a star performer for Yale. Having already shown his immense dependability in each of his conference performances so far, Appel was the helm of the Yale throws ship. On Sunday, Appel won his first individual Ivy Heps title, setting a new discus personal record and school record (he improved upon his own school record mark). Impressively, Appel did not rest on his laurels, returning only a couple of hours later to take bronze in the shot put (with a distance of 17.38m). Appel is expecting to compete for the remainder of the national season, so expect him to continue making waves and improving upon each one of his bests so far.
 
Brian Di Bassinga similarly backed up his indoor Heps performance. Di Bassinga showed poise and composure against a strong and tightly packed triple jump field, finishing in fourth and bringing with him four valuable points in the process. This was a great accomplishment given this is only his first year in the program. His talent is right up there with anyone in the league, and as he continues to mature as a collegiate athlete, you can only assume he will best his already impressive marks.
 
In the 800m, Drake Prince also secured four points for the team. After a speedy 56.3s first lap, Prince was in position to pounce. After a quick close, in which Prince was seemingly impossibly boxed in, he showed a quick turn of pace, along with tactical ingenuity to squeeze past several athletes in the dying moments of the race. Prince's trademark grit was on full display and after making himself a two-time Heps finalist, he can be immensely proud of his season. 
 
Winslow Atkeson only made the transition to the steeplechase this outdoor season, yet he made an immediate impact in the event, finishing in sixth. He finished under the 9-minute barrier, for the second time this season, narrowly pipping his best from Virginia in the process. Atkeson's performances at both this year's Indoor and Outdoor conference championships highlight a breakout year for the sophomore and, given his lack of prior racing experience over the 3000SC, he will absolutely be one of the best going into next year.

The 1500m had strong performances and near points misses for Owen Karas and Liam Garrett. On Day 1 of the championships, Karas expertly commanded a fast heat win, and despite that potential fatigue, mustered a vicious kick in the closing stages of the final Sunday. Karas finished seventh overall in the race, overtaking three athletes in the final lap, and notably was less than a second off second place. Garrett also ran very well, placing ninth in the highly competitive field. Both of the Bulldogs came away with new personal records in the process, Karas with 3:45.10s, and Garrett with 3:47.06s.
 
The day finished off with a hearty effort in the 4x400 relay. A team of Andrew Farr, Jacob Kao, Simon Jupp and Aaron Miller ran on tired legs. This was Kao's fifth race of the weekend, and he had a gutsy 200m final earlier in the day. Yet despite this, the quartet finished in a highly respectable 3:11.23s, finishing in sixth position and taking home a point for the team score. The 4x100 also competed on Sunday, however after an unlucky final exchange, the team of Kit Colson, Kao, James Grindle and Farr finished in seventh position. On a positive side, both relay squads will be returning in full next year, returning to the Heps stage more experienced and even more determined than before. 

Not helped by many near points misses, unfortunately Yale could not improve on their indoor conference result, placing eighth overall with a total of 27 points. Harvard ended the day as overall winners with 203 points. 
 
This meet marked the end of the road for most of the Bulldogs' seasons, however some of the Yale squad will be competing over the coming months, including a handful who will be staying on campus and competing at next weekend's Yale-hosted Last Chance Meet. 
 
Full results for the Ivy League 2023 Outdoor Championships can be found here.