PHILADELPHIA — The Haverford College men's track & field team competed in the two-day Widener Winter Evening Invite, competing Friday night at the Ott Center complex on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania, while finishing up at the Widener University Field House for throwing events on Saturday afternoon.
The evening began with the longest distance event on the schedule, the 5,000 meters. Luke de Valpine and Jakob Maiwald represented the Fords with standout performances, finishing first and second, respectively. After breaking through a large pack of runners at the 4,000-meter mark, the pair pulled away over the final 1,000 meters. De Valpine clocked a personal-best 15:29.41, while Maiwald followed closely in 15:30.44. De Valpine's time also set the facility record for the event at the brand new Ott Center.
In the long jump, Jackson Juzang placed eighth overall with a personal-best leap of 6.34 meters (20 feet, 9.75 inches), positioning him well for a potential scoring performance at the Centennial Championships. Jory Lee posted a season-best jump of 5.99 meters (19 feet, 8 inches) to tie for 17th, while Mark Tringas also recorded a mark of 5.99 meters. In the triple jump, Lee cleared 13.49 meters (44 feet, 3.25 inches) to finish ninth.
Back on the track, the 60 meters featured Samuel Lin finishing 35th in 7.38 seconds. Zenas Boamah also recorded a 35th-place showing with a time of 7.44 seconds.
In the men's mile, a strong Haverford contingent was led by Micah Lachman, who took fifth place with a season-best 4:24.36. Reed Solomon finished 19th overall with a time of 4:31.78.
In the 400 meters, Thomas Fendig recorded a personal-best 51.50 to finish 19th, while Vir Goyal posted a season-best 54.12 for 37th. Fendig also narrowly missed a heat victory, finishing a close second in his section.
The 800 meters saw three Fords in action. Reef Kirchner was the top Haverford finisher, placing 14th in 1:59.80 after a photo finish in a tightly contested heat. Torin Pelton-Flavin finished 33rd in 2:04.40, while Gopal Patel logged a season-best 2:08.76 to take 42nd.
In the 200 meters, Nico Greene represented the Fords, finishing 40th in 24.26.
Peter LaRochelle delivered a standout performance in the 3,000 meters, placing second overall in 8:32.21. Teammate Seamus Fraser also impressed, taking seventh in 8:44.64.
Haverford closed the meet with the 4x400-meter relay, as a young relay team of Fendig, Goyal, Greene and Solomon finished 12th overall in a solid performance of 3:32.75.
The final day of the Widener Evening Invite was held inside the Widener University Field House, as Will Singer competed in the weight throw, tossing a distance of 10.76 meters (35 feet, 3.75 inches), to place 40th. The rookie also competed in the shot put, as Singer finished 50th by launching the shot put 10.50 meters (34 feet, 5.50 inches).
The Fords will return to action on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025, at the annual Seamus McElligott Invitational, held inside Alumni Field House on Haverford's campus. Competition is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m.