ALLENTOWN, Pa. - The Haverford College men's track & field team wrapped up the 2024 Centennial Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Muhlenberg's Scotty Wood Stadium on Sunday.
The Fords finished the busy weekend in 5th place overall with 78 overall points after adding three gold medal performances on Sunday.
The men's 1,500 meter was certainly a strong showing for the Fords, as junior Reza Eshghi continued a stellar outdoor campaign as he captured the event title for Haverford's third consecutive Centennial Conference crown in the event.
Eshghi finished in 3:58.69, just ahead of teammate senior Matt Denton, who cruised into second with an impressive 3:59.98. Micah Lachman was the seventh to cross in a season-best 4:03.98 while registering two points for the Fords. In total, Haverford picked up 20 points from the event alone.
Seamus Fraser, who scored in the steeplechase earlier in the weekend, logged a 17th place finish in 4:10.63 while Reed Solomon added a 4:11.09 for 20th overall. Owen Bluman was 23rd in 4:16.43 to round out the Haverford finishers.
Eshghi continued his dominance with a middle distance/distance double on Sunday, claiming the 5,000-meter crown as well. Showcasing his versatility on the track, the junior crossed in 14:34.9, ahead of a huge group of Johns Hopkins runners who made up most of the other scoring places. Eshghi pulled past the Blue Jays pack to earn gold, while LaRochelle delivered a scoring performance in eighth, crossing in 14:52.11 to also pick up a point for the Fords.
Ravi Eaton grabbed another event title in the triple jump, adding to his gold medal from the indoor season with another impressive leap to cap off a standout senior season that saw him make a mark as one of the top jumpers in the Centennial Conference and Metro Region. Eaton's third jump was 13.55 meters (44 feet, 5.5 inches) as he was able to hold off Keiron Wilson of McDaniel who settled for silver.
Eaton was also eighth overall in the long jump, picking up a point for the Fords after clearing 6.35 meters (20 feet, 10 inches) despite rainy and windy conditions in Allentown. Nathan Ma was 29th with a jump of 5.2 meters (17 feet, ¾ of an inch).
Jonathan Hill rounded out a fantastic track & field campaign with a pair of medals. Hill finished third in the 100 meters, clocking a time of 11 seconds flat, a new personal-best for the second straight day and the third-best time in program history. In the 200 meters, he also grabbed the bronze in 22.10.
In the javelin toss, Jasyon Mayo impressed in the first flight, clearing 43.34 meters (142 feet, 2 inches) for 10th place overall. Tiger Wang finished 14th, clearing 39.26 meters (128 feet, nine inches).
In relay action, the men's 4x100 meter relay squad finished fifth in 44.31, narrowly missing a spot in the program's all-time outdoor top 10. The team was composed of Mayo, Hill, Vir Goyal, and Eaton.
The day was capped by the always exhilarating 4x400 meter relay, as the Fords team of Denton, Hill, Goyal and Eaton finished 7th in 3:27.23.
By virtue of finishing above Swarthmore, Haverford also earns a point towards the overall Hood Trophy ledger.
With an exciting final day of action now in the books, Haverford will next be in action on the track at the Widener Final Qualifier Meet, which is slated for Monday, May 13 with events starting at approximately 1p.m. in Chester, Pa. The NCAA Division III Championships are scheduled for May 24-26 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina at Doug Shaw Memorial Stadium.