CHESTER, Pa. - The Haverford College men's track & field team embarked on the first window of competition during the first day of the Paul Donahue Invitational at Widener University on Friday evening, where middle distance and distance events took center stage for Haverford.
Junior Reza Eshghi continued to shine brightly in a season already marked by excellence, delivering an impressive performance in the elite 1,500 meters. Eshghi secured a fourth-place finish in 3:47.25, marking a new personal best. He trailed only a pair of Division I runners from LaSalle and an unattached athlete. With this impressive time, Eshghi is poised to rank among the nation's elite this season, currently standing as the third-best time in Division III.
Matthew Denton also made his mark in the same event, claiming the 11th spot with a time of 3:52.05, setting a new personal record. Denton's performance ranks among the top 30 this season and is second only to Eshghi in the Metro Region.
In the 5,000 meters event, a large group of Haverford runners showcased their talent. Luca Ponticello led the charge, securing the 12th position with a personal best of 14:50.57. Micah Lachman also impressed with a 17th place finish in a personal-best time of 14:52.31. Jakob Maiwald followed closely in 33rd place, achieving a personal-best time of 15:05.99, while Luke de Valpine crossed the line in 55th place with a career-best time of 15:30.30.
Joseph De Rosa and Sammy Schindel crossed the finish line in tandem, claiming the 67th and 68th spots with career-best times of 15:37.46 and 15:37.53, respectively. Rowan Shigeno also achieved a personal best, clocking in at 16:16.26 for the 88th spot.
Seawon Park and Kieran McDonnell secured the 99th and 100th positions with personal-record times of 16:53.25 and 16:55.90, respectively. Xingyun Yang followed closely, claiming the 101st spot with a personal-record time of 17:12.68, while Cullen Worth rounded out the Haverford contingent with a time of 17:25.19, also achieving a new personal best in the 5,000 meters event in 105th.
With the Friday leg of competition concluded, attention now turns to Saturday's events at Widener. Action is set to commence at 10 a.m. tomorrow with the 4x100 meter relay marking the beginning on the track, while the long jump will kick off the men's field events.