SWARTHMORE, Pa. - The Haverford College outdoor men's track and field team competed in Swarthmore's Last Chance Meet on Monday to vie for late spots in the upcoming NCAA Championship. Senior Charlie Marquardt highlighted the meet for the Fords, running the fastest 1,500 meters in Division III this season.
Marquardt's final time of 3:43.24 topped Division III this year. The time is also a new personal best. His mark placed him 16th in the race, behind only Division I and professional runners alike. Just a fraction of a second behind Marquardt was Ramapo College's Jeremy Hernandez, whose time marks him the second-fastest in Division III this season.
Marquardt, 2015's Centennial Conference Outstanding Track Performer, will likely enter the NCAA Championship as the top seed in the 1,500 meter event. The previous best time of his career was 3:43.84, set at last year's Swarthmore Last Chance Meet. This season, Marquardt ran a 3:46.89 at the Penn Relays before winning the event at the Centennial Conference Championship in 3:55.73.
Elsewhere, senior Jeffrey Ainsley placed fourth in the 110 hurdles with a time of 15.19 seconds. Ainsley's best time of the year in the event, which currently ranks 27th in Division III, is 14.73 seconds. He claimed that time at the Centennial Conference Championship.
Following this week's Widener Last Chance Qualifier, the NCAA Championship will take place at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa from May 26-28.