HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College women's track and field team turned in a strong showing Friday night at the Keogh Invitational inside the Alumni Field House, highlighted by another historic performance from first-year Taniya Denson in the pole vault and plenty of personal bests throughout the meet.
Denson headlined the competition for the Scarlet and Black, clearing a school-record 3.40 meters (11 feet, 1.75 inches) to capture first place in the pole vault. The mark surpassed her own previous program record of 3.20 meters (10 feet, 6 inches), continuing a remarkable debut campaign and further rewriting the Haverford record book.
On the track, the Fords were dominant in the 800 meters. Anastasia Jaycobs raced to a first-place finish in 2:17.74, a new personal best that ranks seventh all-time in Haverford history. Savannah Shaw followed closely in second with a personal-best time of 2:20.57 to complete the 1-2 finish. Jessie Hausman added a sixth-place effort (2:28.57, personal best), Maia Poremba placed seventh (2:28.87, season best), Sophia Furman finished ninth (2:31.98, personal best), and Beatrice Di Girolamo crossed in 24th (2:47.65, season best).
In the 400 meters, Devyn Telleen posted a runner-up finish in 1:01.76. Carly Priest took sixth (1:04.60, personal best), Tess Greaton finished 12th (1:05.70, personal best), Emery Casucci placed 13th (1:05.99), Maggie Blanford was 14th (1:06.22), and Madison Lewis crossed in 17th (1:09.07).
Lorelei Middleton led Haverford in the 200 meters with a second-place finish in 26.70, a personal best that ranks eighth all-time in program history. Nadine Tang added a ninth-place time of 28.24, while Anna Berry placed 11th (28.50, personal best). Denson finished 15th (29.13, personal best), Lewis was 18th (30.18), and Abigail Miyake took 20th (30.97).
Tang also paced the Scarlet and Black in the 60 meters, placing ninth in 8.39. Zofi Sanders finished 17th (8.81), and Miyake added a 22nd-place effort (9.37). In the 60-meter hurdles, Adriana Rogow placed 15th with a time of 11.93.
In the mile, Grace Chen led the distance contingent with a fourth-place finish in 5:42.07. Bianca Ortiz placed sixth (5:47.06), Audrey Carter finished seventh (5:48.45, personal best), Betty Baraki took eighth (5:51.33, personal best), and Natalie Kruglyak crossed in 26th (6:36.37, personal best).
In the field events, Di Girolamo placed seventh in the high jump with a clearance of 1.35 meters (4 feet, 5 inches), tying her season best. Senior Sarah Wilcher led Haverford in the shot put, finishing fourth with a mark of 10.95 meters (35 feet, 11 inches). Di Girolamo added a 13th-place toss of 8.72 meters (28 feet, 7.5 inches), a season best, while Rogow placed 18th at 6.15 meters (20 feet, 2 inches), a personal best. To round out the night, Sanders led the Scarlet and Black in the long jump with an 18th-place finish, posting a mark of 4.32 meters (14 feet, 2 inches). Rogow followed closely behind in 19th place with a jump of 4.16 meters (13 feet, 7.75 inches).
Following the final home indoor meet of the season, the Fords will travel to Lancaster, Pa., for the Centennial Conference Championships on Saturday, February 28, and Sunday, March 1. The meet, held inside Schnader Field House on the campus of Franklin & Marshall College, is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.
