Championship Central | Men's Accepted Entries List | Meet Schedule | Heat Sheets
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.- Haverford junior Reza Eshghi will represent the Haverford College men's track & field team in the 2024 NCAA Division IIi Indoor National Championships on Friday at the Virginia Beach Sports Center. Norfolk State serves as host in the Hampton Roads region of the nation. Eshghi enters as the 13th seed in the mile, with the top 20 declared individuals qualified for each individual event.
Those top 20 declared entrants will enter the mile preliminaries on Friday (2:50 p.m.) and be split into two heats. The top four finishers in each heat, plus the next two fastest times, will advance to the finals on Saturday. First-team All-America status will be awarded to the top eight finishers in Saturday's final while nine through 16 earn second-team honors.
Should Eshghi advance out of the preliminary heats and into the mile final, that event will be slated for Saturday at 4:15 p.m. (ET). Live video and results for all of this weekend's action in Birmingham will be provided via the NCAA's website.
This will be the first indoor nationals appearance for Eshghi, who competed in last fall's NCAA Championships for Cross Country in Newville, Pa. Eshghi brought Haverford back to the top of the CC medal podium in the mile after a one-year hiatus from gold, delivering an impressive 4:16.06 to claim the conference title a weekend ago. Eshghi's accomplishment is noteworthy as he scored in the event for the third consecutive season, becoming the 26th Centennial Conference mile champion from the program.
The Lincoln, Mass., product earned the eventual NCAA qualifying time in his home state at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational. Competing in the 13th heat of the day, he executed a late kick to lead much of the final lap. However, he was overtaken late by two Division I power five competitors, Christopher Hill of Rutgers, and Charlie Smith of Georgia Tech. Eshghi finished with a time of 4:07.28, a new personal best. The mark also stands as the seventh-fastest in program indoor history. Eshghi will enter as the 13th seed.
Eshghi is looking to become the first Haverford athlete to top the indoor mile podium at nationals. Charlie Marquardt finished second overall in 2016, while Greg Morgan was fifth in 2018. Last season, Jamie Moreland represented the Fords and finished 20th in the prelims before a runner-up finish in the outdoor 1,500 meters.
Day one action overall includes the men's heptathlon, women's pentathlon, several field events, semifinal races and finals of the 5000 meters and Distance Medley Relays. Day two opens with the completion of the men's heptathlon. Championships are up for grab as finals in the remaining running and field events take place throughout the afternoon and evening.
The men's team champion will be crowned following the conclusion of the men's 4x400 relay at approximately 6:20 p.m. CT and the women's team champion will be crowned following the conclusion of the women's 4x400 relay at approximately 6:40 p.m. ET on Sunday.