COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. - The Haverford College men's track & field team kicked off the 2023-24 indoor season at the Ursinus Bow Tie Invitational on Friday afternoon, an annual opener at the Floy Lewis Bakes Track Center on the Ursinus campus.
Jonathan Hill claimed the ninth spot in the 60-meter dash prelims, narrowly missing qualification for the finals with a time of 7.26. The senior notched a new personal best, improving by a tenth of a second, and solidified his place in the program's top five with this impressive mark.
In the unseeded 60 meters, newcomer Zenas Boamah clocked 7.42 to secure the 13th position, while Jory Lee (24th, 7.70), Amon-Ra Kamit (26th, 7.81), and Boahen Kwakye (31st, 8.21) also represented the Fords.
Hill continued his strong performance in the 200 meters, claiming fourth place with a time of 23.29. Boamah finished 36th (25.15), and Vir Goyal secured 43rd place in 25.43. Jonah Hoffman-Weitsman narrowly missed the top 50, finishing 51st in 26.82. Kevin Villafane (27.24) claimed the 53rd spot, and Kwakye rounded out the Haverford contingent with a time of 29.83 for 61st place.
Ravi Eaton showcased his prowess in the long jump, securing a fourth-place finish by clearing 6.63 meters (21 feet, nine inches). This marked a new personal best for Eaton, propelling him into the indoor top 10 list at Haverford. Senior newcomer Eugene Yang claimed fifth place with a leap of 6.54 meters (21 feet, 2.5 inches), establishing a new personal record. Jory Lee also set a personal best in ninth place, clearing 6.23 meters (20 feet, 5.25 inches), while Tiger Wang made his long jump debut in 24th, clearing 5.03 meters (16 feet, six inches).
In the triple jump, Eaton surpassed his fourth-place finish from the long jump with a third-place performance, clearing 14.05 meters (46 feet, 1.25 inches), setting a new personal best, and also climbing the ranks all the way to third in program history. Lee claimed fifth place with a jump of 13.54 meters (44 feet, 5.25 inches), and Yang finished eighth with a leap of 11.56 meters (37 feet, 11.25 inches).
Wang led the Haverford throwers in the shot put, achieving a personal best of 10.18 meters (33 feet, 4.75 inches), with Amon-Ra Kamit closely following at 10.15 meters (33 feet, 3.75 inches). Rocky Luan made his debut with a toss of 8.63 meters (28 feet, 3.75 inches), and Jonah Levine finished 31st with 8.46 meters (27 feet, 9.25 inches).
In the 800 meters, Sam Diaz represented Haverford as the lone entrant for the Fords, securing a 10th place finish in 2:08.09.
The mile contingent was led by Owen Bluman, a first-year debutant, who claimed third place in 4:29.15. Reed Solomon achieved a new personal best, finishing fourth in 4:30.60. Luke de Valpine made his collegiate indoor debut in sixth place (4:38.28), Torin-Pelton Flavin finished 10th (4:42.33), and Joseph De Rosa narrowly missed a personal record in 11th (4:42.66). Deven Abrams (14th, 4:54.21), Kieran McDonnell (16th, a new mile PR of 4:54.97), and Cullen Worth (17th, 5:02.23) rounded out the Haverford group.
The Fords will now take a break for finals and the winter holiday before resuming action in January 2024 at the St. Thomas Aquinas Invitational on Staten Island, with the event starting at 12 p.m. at the Ocean Breeze Complex.