HAVERFORD, Pa. - In its final opportunity to prep for the Centennial Conference Championships, the Haverford College Men's Indoor Track & field team posted another standout showing at the Keogh Invitational inside the Alumni Field House, taking the team title in the meet. The event served as a mini-preview of the conference championships, as the Fords competed against a field that included Centennial foes Ursinus, Swarthmore, Franklin & Marshall, Johns Hopkins, and Muhlenberg.
Headlining the strong performances was Ethan Gadra as the sophomore set a new school record in the pole vault to claim the event title. Gadra cleared a mark of 4.45 meters (14'-7.25"), eclipsing his career-best of 4.25 meters and besting both the indoor and outdoor program-bests set by Jeff Barton '04 in 2003 and 2002, respectively. Gadra shattered Barton's indoor mark of 14 feet, six inches, as well as his outdoor mark of that same height. The mark is also the best in the Centennial Conference so far this season by almost eight inches. Gadra, an honorable mention All-Conference performer as a first year last season, now looks to be in strong shape to win the conference crown.
Of special significance on the day was 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 and alumni and friends have gathered for the Keogh Invitational each year since 2014 to celebrate and honor his memory.
Senior Hiro Kawakatsu was the top Haverford finisher in the annual event, crossing in 1:59.26, good for a second place overall finish. The Haverford co-captain took home the memorial trophy given to Haverford's top finisher in the distance. Jeffrey Allen (sixth, 2:02.19) also scored for Haverford in the event, establishing a new career-best showing, while Nick Scardigno (2:06.92) and Michael Franco (2:13.47) also competed in the distance.
Gene Perry put 10 points towards the Haverford total with a victory in the 400 meters, clocking a time of 51.37. Dylan Kupetsky was the 10th place finisher for the Fords in 1:04.25, while the sprinter also finished in 27.96 in the 200 meters.
The men's mile was chocked full of Haverford finishers, with Matt Katz taking second place overall in 4:14.29. That time is a new career-best for Katz and is currently the top time in the Centennial Conference. Right behind Katz was Jamie Moreland, as Moreland also clocked a career-best time of 4:14.41. That time is currently the second-fastest among Centennial athletes. With results still rolling in through action across the nation, Katz and Moreland are 10th and 11th in Division III, respectively, as they eye a coveted slot at the national meet.
Simon Perales finished sixth in 4:26.78, a new personal-best, while Charlie Ferguson (4:28.66) was seventh. Nico Tripeny finished ninth (4:30.90), and Sam Ditkovsky also scored for Haverford (4:31.86) with a 10th place showing. James Barker was 11th (4:32.65), Conor Madden crossed in 12th (4:33.83), and Jack Hunter toed the line in 14th (4:35.92). Rounding out the top 20 finishers were Aaron Bratt in 19th (4:42.87) and Ryan Quenemoen in 20th (4:43.95).
Ryan Kredell headlined the 3,000-meter contingent, finishing third overall in a career-best 8:41.02. Peter Buckley was right behind the first year, crossing in 8:43.40 to notch a PR with a fourth-place showing. David Watt was 8th (9:11.80) to round out the Haverford scorers.
Haverford had a strong relay showing as the 4x200 meter team of Gadra, Reichard, Ashton Smith, and Perry won the title in 1:35.93. The 4x400 meter squad of Kawakatsu, Ditkovsky, Sam McCalpin, and Perry finished in 3:33.80 to capture that event crown.
In the high jump, Andrew Lummus and Smith both had solid showings, as Lummus took second overall with a jump of 1.7 meters (5'-7") and Smith was third, collecting a mark of 1.65 meters (5'-5"). The marks are both personal bests. Reichard contested the long jump, finishing fifth (5.55 meters, 18'-2.5"), while Rasaaq Shittu finished 10th in the shot put with a throw of 10.38 meters (34'-0.75").
Haverford will now head to the aforementioned Centennial Conference Championships, which are slated for Saturday, February 29 and Sunday, March 1 at Franklin & Marshall. Action is slated to begin at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday in Lancaster, Pa.