PHILADELPHIA – The Haverford College men's track & field team competed at Widener's Indoor Classic on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania, taking to the track at the brand-new Ott Center in University City to conclude a busy weekend of action as the team ramps up preparations for the Centennial Conference Championships early next month.
In an electrifying men's 400 meters, Thomas Fendig ran 50.13, finishing eighth overall and setting a new personal record in his rookie season. Fendig's blazing time also ranks him seventh in Haverford program history in the event.
Reef Kirchner set a personal best in the 800 meters with a time of 1:58.16, securing 17th place. Tate Sheehy also had a strong performance with a time of 2:06.25 in his collegiate 800-meter debut, while Gopal Patel ran a season-best 2:07.29 to finish 62nd overall.
In the mile, Senior Reed Solomon recorded a season-best time of 4:27.73 for 24th overall. Torin Pelton-Flavin achieved a personal best of 4:32.38, finishing 34th.
The men's 5,000 meters saw standout performances from Luke de Valpine, who broke the previous Ott Center facility record with a 14:57.13, surpassing his own mark set at Haverford's meet at the newly-minted venue in January. He finished fifth overall in a crowded field. Seamus Fraser also broke that previous best with a time of 15:02.11, finishing seventh. Jakob Maiwald ran a season-best 15:24.71 to place 16th.
Jory Lee finished fourth in the triple jump, clearing 13.91 meters (45 feet, 7.75 inches). In the long jump, Lee posted a mark of 6.41 meters (21 feet, 0.5 inches) for ninth place, while Jackson Juzang jumped 6.22 meters (20 feet, 5 inches) for 14th. First-year Mark Tringas rounded out the Haverford contingent with a jump of 6.06 meters (19 feet, 10.75 inches) for 21st place.
Micah Lachman completed the Haverford runners, competing in the 3,000 meters to round out the distance events. Lachman posted a ninth-place finish with a new personal best of 8:39.95. The 4x400-meter relay squad of Fendig, Nico Greene, Zenas Boamah, and Vir Goyal finished with a season-best time of 3:28.69, placing 12th overall.
Haverford will now take its final tune-up weekend before the CC Championships, with action staying close to home on February 22. The Fords will host their second indoor meet of the season, the Keogh Invitational, beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
