HAVERFORD, Pa. - In its final tuneup for the Centennial Conference Championships, the Haverford College men's indoor track & field team proved its mettle against a bevy of Centennial Conference squads at the Keogh Invitational inside the Alumni Field House on Saturday afternoon. Haverford finished third overall, compiling 74 total points while picking up the event title in the 4x400 meter relay. The meet served as an informal preview for the Centennial Conference meet as conference foes Johns Hopkins, Muhlenberg, Swarthmore, Ursinus, and Franklin & Marshall were all represented.
The meet was highlighted by the Eddie Papalia '05 memorial 800 meter race. The event was named in memory of Papalia, a three-time track & field All-American who graduated from Haverford in 2005. Papalia passed away in June of 2012. Senior Greg Morgan was the top Haverford finisher in the annual event, crossing in 1:57.27, good for a fourth place finish. Morgan, who has been named to three-straight Centennial Conference Track Athlete of the Week awards, took home the memorial trophy given to Haverford's top finisher in the distance. Senior Chris Goings was fifth overall in 1:59.06, while first year Jamie Moreland also scored for Haverford with a sixth-place finish in 1:59.15.
Haverford's 4x400 meter relay team of seniors Peter Kurtz, Oscar Huang, Goings, and junior Hiroshi Kawakatsu crossed in 3:35.42. Haverford outpaced a Swarthmore contingent to claim 10 points towards its ledger. Kurtz was Haverford's lone entrant in the 400 meters, finishing fourth with a career-best 53.35.
A bevy of performers took to the mile, with senior captain Ian Woodhouse leading the charge with a 4:29.19, a career best mile time for a fourth-place finish. Sophomore Simon Perales crossed in seventh with a time of 4:30.80.
The 3,000 meters had four Haverford scorers, led by first year Peter Buckley. Buckley crossed in fourth with a time of 8:48.11, a career best. Fellow first year Nico Tripeny was sixth in a career-best 8:56.28. Junior James Barker was seventh in 8:58.15 while sophomore Matt Katz registered an eighth place finish with a time of 9:03.33.
In the sprints, senior Kofi Acheampong again grabbed a strong time in the 60 meters, finishing in 7.29 for a third-place finish. Huang finished just outside the scoring with a time of 7.51. Senior Zach Oji scored for the Fords in the 60-meter hurdles, clocking in at 10.22.
In field events, senior Rohan Shukla and Oji both scored for Haverford in the triple jump, with Shukla narrowly missing a personal best mark. Shukla recorded a jump of 12.13 meters (39'-9.75") for a fourth place finish. Oji was sixth, recording a mark of 11.76 meters (38'-7'). Senior Chris Glazer was Haverford's top finisher in the long jump with an 11th place finish thanks to a career-best jump of 5.87 meters (19'-3.25"). Shukla was 12th with a jump of 5.79 meters (19') while sophomore Silvan Sooksatan finished 16th, recording a mark of 5.63 meters (18' - 5.75").
With the regular season now complete, Haverford turns its full attention to the Centennial Conference Championships, which are slated for Saturday, February 23, and Sunday February 24th, at Franklin & Marshall. Action on each day is slated to begin at 11:30 a.m. in Lancaster.