Full Centennial Conference Championships Results
LANCASTER, Pa. - The Haverford College men's track & field team concluded the Centennial Conference championships at Franklin & Marshall on Sunday with a bevy of notable performances, highlighted by a gold and silver tandem in the mile run by Reza Eshghi and Matthew Denton. Haverford secured the third position overall with 82 total points, a considerable finish over fourth-placed Muhlenberg (70).
Eshghi brought Haverford back to the top of the medal podium in the mile after a one-year hiatus from gold, delivering an impressive 4:16.06 to claim the title. 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. Following closely behind was Denton, who continued his breakout senior campaign, clocking 4:17.68 and securing the silver medal by edging out Johns Hopkins' rookie Kenny Wanlass.
In the same event, Micah Lachman narrowly missed scoring, finishing ninth overall with a personal-best time of 4:22.25. Reed Solomon secured 12th place with a time of 4:27.01, while Owen Bluman claimed the 17th spot with a time of 4:30.35. Luke de Valpine rounded out the Haverford milers, finishing 30th in 4:38.55.
Eshghi's prowess extended to the 3,000 meters, where he secured a second-place finish with a personal-best time of 8:26.39. Peter LaRochelle, Eshghi's junior classmate, replicated his scoring performance in the 5,000, finishing fifth in 8:34.84. Seamus Fraser claimed the 16th position in 8:54.06, and Jakob Maiwald crossed the line in 25th overall with a time of 9:13.45.
Ravi Eaton, a day after winning Haverford's first triple jump gold since 2009, demonstrated his elite jumping abilities in the long jump, clinching a silver medal with a clearance of 6.59 meters (21 feet, 7.5 inches). Jory Lee also contributed to Haverford's score, securing sixth place with a leap of 6.45 meters (21 feet, two inches). Eugene Yang finished in 22nd place, clearing 4.81 meters (15 feet, 9.5 inches).
The 200-meter contingent was led by Jonathan Hill, who narrowly missed the podium with a fourth-place finish overall in 22.93 seconds. Zenas Boamah, in his initial CC championships, finished 21st with a time of 24.17 seconds, while Jason Mayo made his debut in 24.35 seconds, securing the 25th position.
Haverford's 4x400 meter relay team, comprised of Hill, Denton, Bluman, and Eaton, finished seventh overall in 3:33 flat, earning two more points for Haverford.
Johns Hopkins (187.5 points) narrowly edged Ursinus (182.5 points) for the overall team title. Haverford picked up a Hood Trophy point by virtue of finishing above eighth-place Swarthmore (34 points).
Looking ahead to the NCAA indoor championships in Virginia Beach in two weekends, Eshghi is a strong contender for a slot in the mile, as his time set at Boston Unviersity currently ranks among the top 20 declared athletes in individual events. The top 12 relays also qualify for the NCAA championships.
The upcoming weekend presents a final qualifying opportunity for the NCAA championships in the Boston area, with the Tufts University-hosted final qualifier scheduled for Saturday, March 2, at 1 p.m.