BOSTON, Mass. — Two members of the Haverford College men's track and field team delivered standout performances Friday at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational inside the Boston University Track and Tennis Center. Seniors Reza Eshghi and Peter LaRochelle further etched their names into the indoor record books with memorable performances in their home state of Massachusetts. 

Eshghi (Lincoln, Mass.) made program history by setting a new Haverford school record in the 3,000 meters. Competing in the sixth heat alongside several Division I runners, he finished in 8:03.39 seconds, surpassing the previous school record of 8:06.56 set by Charlie Marquardt in 2016.

Eshghi placed 86th overall and ranked third among Division III competitors, trailing only Lynchburg's Chasen Hunt and Johns Hopkins' Emmanuel LeBlond. His time was more than three seconds faster than Marquardt's mark, which had stood since Feb. 6, 2016, and was set at the Villanova Invitational on Staten Island.

Eshghi's performance shattered his previous personal best of 8:11.09 from earlier this season and ranks as the second-fastest time in Centennial Conference history. At the time of publication, it is the eighth-fastest mark in NCAA Division III history according to the USTFCCCA. 

LaRochelle (Great Barrington, Mass.) posted a personal-best 14:29.46 in the 5,000 meters, currently the sixth-fastest time in Haverford history. Competing in the ninth heat, which featured runners from Ohio State, Kentucky, Syracuse and Louisville, he finished 12th (170th overall). His time currently ranks 26th on the TFRRS Division III qualifying list at press time. 

Haverford returns to action Saturday, Feb. 15, for day two of the Widener Indoor Classic at the Ott Center on the University of Pennsylvania campus. Events are set to begin at 3 p.m.