HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College men's track & field team competed inside at the Alumni Field House on campus for the first time this season on Saturday, posting a bevy of strong marks at the Seamus McElligott Invitational, as preparation for the Conference Championships is now well underway.
In the first home meet, the annual Play With Pride Meet celebrated Haverford's LGBTQ+ community members and supported advocacy by and for the LGBTQ+ community. Play with Pride events occurred this past week on campus, including Play with Pride Men's and Women's basketball games on January 25, as well as the Men's and Women's Play With Pride Squash matches on January 27.
Reigning Centennial Conference Track Athlete of the Week Reza Eshghi captured the mile crown in 4:10.72. That time on the flat track at Haverford converts to 4:07.56 for NCAA qualifying purposes, as Eshghi currently holds the fifth-fastest mile time in Division III this season, and the fastest converted time registered so far in 2024, as results continue to trickle in from across the nation.
Matthew Denton finished second (4:19.48), while Micah Lachman also logged a top-five finish, placing fourth in 4:27.33. Reed Solomon was the eighth to cross (4:28.69) while Luke de Valpine was 10th (career-best 4:33.17). Sam Diaz crossed 27th overall (4:59.97), and Cullen Worth was 28th (career-best 5:00.46). Seawon Park returned to action with a 31st-place finish (5:08.6).
Peter LaRochelle dominated the field in the 3,000 meters, logging 8:27.20. His converted time of 8:21.37 currently ranks as the 19th-fastest in Division III. Xingyun Yang also ran the 3K for Haverford, crossing 23rd in 10:16.55.
Another large grouping of Haverford runners competed in the 5,000 meters, as Seamus Fraser led that pack for an event title in a career-best 15:21.99. Luca Ponticello was fifth (15:34.89), and Jakob Maiwald was right behind in sixth (15:36.83). Sammy Schindel (10th, 16:11.37), Joseph De Rosa (11th, career-best 16:12.87), Rowan Shigeno (13th, 16:32.69), Deven Abrams (16th, career-best 17:14.11), and Kieran McDonnell (17th, 18:48.10) rounded out the Haverford finishers.
Owen Bluman was the lone Haverford competitor in the 800 meters, logging a ninth-place finish in 2:01.35 for his indoor 800-meter debut. Gopal Patel made his indoor 400-meter debut with a 10th place finish in 58.53.
A large grouping of 200-meter runners was paced by Jason Mayo, as he completed the distance in a personal-best 24:45 for 15th overall. Zenas Boamah was 18th in 24.60, while Vir Goyal finished 22nd in 25.03. Jonah Hoffman-Weitsman then crossed in 32nd overall (26.27), while Kevin Villafane (35th, 27:04), Matthew Ruiz (37th, 27.39), and Boahen Kwakye (39th, 28.05) rounded out the Haverford contingent.
Senior captain Ravi Eaton finished fourth overall in the long jump, logging a mark of 6.39 meters (20 feet, 11.75 inches). Jory Lee finished just outside the top 10, taking 11th with a mark of 6.2 meters (20 feet, 4.25 inches) while Ma was 14th with a jump of 5.73 meters (18 feet, 9.75 inches). Leon Gordon logged a personal-best 5.42-meter jump (17 feet, 9.75 inches) for 18th place, and Tiger Wang was 19th, clearing a career-best 5.35 meters (17 feet, 6.75 inches).
In the 60-meter dash, Mayo was again the top Haverford finisher, taking 12th in a career-best 7.47 while Boamah was 14th in 7.54. Nathan Ma was 21st (career-best 7.71) and Kwakye was 26th in 8.10.
The 4x400-meter relay squad of Solomon, Lachman, Denton, and Eaton was the fourth-place finisher (3:37.89), ahead of the other Haverford team of Gordon, Patel, Diaz, and Bluman.
In Saturday's shot put action, Wang paced the Haverford throwers with a toss of 9.24 meters (30 feet, 3.75 inches) for 21st. Jonah Levine was 23rd with a career-best toss of 8.95 meters (29 feet, 4.5 inches), while rookie Rocky Luan added a career-best toss of 8.87 meters (29 feet, 1.25 inches).
Next up for the Fords is a trip up to the Armory in New York, N.Y., for the NYU DIII Invitational. The competition is slated to begin at 5 p.m. on Friday, February 2.