STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - The Haverford College men's track & field team embarked on a mid-season journey to the Ocean Breeze Complex on Staten Island Friday, participating in the Fastrack National Invitational. The event drew talented competitors from all three NCAA divisions to New York City, and Haverford made the most of the strong competition and fast surface with a bevy of huge personal bests.
The 3,000-meter run showcased impressive performances for the squad, with Seamus Fraser leading the Fords and securing the 29th position with a new career-best time of 8:44.02. Jakob Maiwald followed closely, finishing 34th in 8:45.05, smashing his previous PR by over seven seconds.
Luca Ponticello secured a top 40 finish, crossing 38th with a time of 8:50.39, surpassing his previous PR by more than 12 seconds. Joseph De Rosa was 45th in a career-best 9:01.56 while Sammy Schindel claimed the 54th spot with a career-best time of 9:06.81, improving by more than three seconds.
Jory Lee achieved a new personal record in the long jump, finishing seventh by clearing 6.35 meters (20 feet, 10 inches) on his second attempt. In the triple jump, Ravi Eaton was the 12th to finish with his first attempt at 13.71 meters (44 feet, 11.75 inches). Lee notched a 26th place finish with his first and second attempts reaching 12.58 meters (41 feet, 3.25 inches). Gopal Patel represented Haverford, finishing 97th in 4:56.71, marking his collegiate debut in the distance.
Micah Lachman led the Haverford contingent in the 800 meters, finishing 28th with a time of 1:59.60. Owen Bluman achieved a career-best time of 1:59.91, securing the 33rd position, while Reed Solomon finished 38th in 2:00.24, and Sam Diaz rounded out the Haverford team in 2:10.16 for 98th place.
In the 60-meter dash, sprinters Zenas Boamah (69th, 7.44) and Jason Mayo (82nd, 7.53) represented the Fords. The 200-meter dash featured Mayo crossing 80th (23.57) and Boamah notching a 95th place showing (23.80). Each of those times were new personal records. Vir Goyal finished 115th in a personal-best 24.68.
Jonathan Hill returned to action as the sole Haverford entrant in the 400 meters, crossing the finish line in 53.26 for 72nd overall.
Looking ahead, a select group of Haverford distance runners, Peter LaRochelle (5,000 meters), Reza Eshghi (mile), and Matthew Denton (mile), will compete at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational at Boston University. The events will kick off at approximately 9 a.m. The rest of the Haverford contingent will return home for the Keogh Invitational on Saturday, February 17, inside Alumni Field House, with action starting at 10:30 a.m.