STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - The Haverford College men's indoor track & field team made a strong return to action Friday afternoon at the St. Thomas Aquinas Spartan Invitational at the Ocean Breeze Athletic Complex on Staten Island. In the first meet under the leadership of Head Coach Matt Cohen, the team showcased strength across various disciplines.
Leading the way in the 3,000-meter race, Reza Eshghi set a blistering pace with a time of 8:27.96, marking a new personal best by nearly four seconds. Eshghi outpaced Division I competitors from NJIT, Lafayette, American, and Rider in a commanding performance to capture the event crown.
Matthew Denton claimed the seventh position with a time of 8:41.56, achieving a new personal best by less than a second. Seamus Fraser secured a top 10 finish, taking ninth place in 8:51.27, breaking his previous personal record. Jakob Maiwald finished 12th with a time of 8:55.38, while Sammy Schindel secured the 20th place finish with a time of 9:10.54. Evan Daniels crossed the finish line in 29th place, setting a new personal record of 9:15.63.
Peter LaRochelle made a strong season debut, finishing as the seventh runner in the mile and second among Division III entrants with a personal-best time of 4:21.27. Reed Solomon, a fellow junior, claimed the 15th position in the mile, achieving a new personal best of 4:25.11. Micah Lachman finished 29th with a time of 4:30.56, and Luca Ponticello secured the 34th position with a new personal best of 4:33.91. Joseph De Rosa also established a new personal record, finishing 44th with a time of 4:41.84, while Sam Diaz made his indoor mile debut in 4:55.16.
In the 60-meter dash, Jonathan Hill narrowly missed his newly-established personal record, finishing 29th overall with a time of 7:27. Zenas Boamah claimed the 51st position, matching his mark from the Bow Tie Invitational last month at Ursinus, with a time of 7:42. Amon-Ra Kamit finished as the 84th runner, crossing the line in 7.91.
In the 200 meters, Hill paced the Fords with a 12th place showing (22.75), while Boamah was 69th with a new personal best mark of 25.15. Jason Mayo placed 87th in the crowded field, logging a time of 24.80. Jonah Hoffman-Weitsman posted a new personal best of 26.10 for 101st, while Kevin Villafane finished just behind in 27.18 for 103rd. The 400-meter dash featured Leo Gordon (61st, 1:00.16) and Matthew Ruiz (63rd, 1:02.45) navigating a crowded field that included 13 heats.
Looking ahead to next week's action, the Men's Track & Field team next has a split day on January 20, with a contingent heading to the Collegeville Invitational at Ursinus (10 a.m.), while select entrants will compete in the Villanova Invitational (4 p.m.) right back at Ocean Breeze on Staten Island.