Distance runners lead Penn track to impressive weekend

Once again, Penn track and field was split between two meets this weekend.

While most of the team enjoyed slightly warmer weather in Charlottesville, Va., at the Virginia Quad Meet and Lou Onesty Invitational, sophomore distance runner Christopher Luciano dealt with colder temperatures in nearby Princeton, N.J., at the Sam Howell Invitational.

Luciano, who was the only member of the Red and Blue at the meet, competed in the 10K. His lack of teammates didn’t slow him down.

His time of 30:06.43 was not only the sixth-fastest mark in the Ivy League so far this season but also was good enough to earn the sophomore first place.

More success was earned down south on the University of Virginia’s campus.

Again, it was distance runners leading the way, but it was the women who were the most dominant in Thomas Jefferson’s backyard.

The Quakers paced the women’s 1,500-meter run. Seven Penn runners finished in the top 13, five in the top nine, four in the top six and the Red and Blue had the top two overall finishers.

Sophomore Abby Hong finished her run in just 4:39.67 and was followed less than a half second later by senior Elyssa Gensib with a time of 4:40.02.

Gina Alm added to the success for Penn women when the Pittsburgh-area native finished in sixth place with a time of 2:19.52 in the 800m. Her performance outpaced five other Red and Blue athletes who finished amongst the top 20 in the event.

The Quakers also had good showings in the men’s 800m at the Lou Onesty. Again the Red and Blue clogged the leaderboard with three finishers in the top eight. The lowest time amongst them belonged to junior Jack Huemmler, who still recorded a time of 1:55.75, good enough for fifth place in the event. They added this performance to freshman Calvary Rogers’ win in the 400m a day earlier with a time of 48.17.

The men made their biggest mark in the throwing events, where they had multiple top two finishes from their veteran hurlers.

Junior Noah Kennedy-White’s throw of 53.55m placed him second at the Lou Onesty. It was an impressive performance for the junior from Jericho, N.Y. However, it fell well short of the Lannigan Field record of 65.12 meters. The record, of course, belongs to none other than senior Sam Mattis — who set the record one day earlier at the Virginia Quad Meet.

Coupled with Mattis’ win was a pair of titles in the high jump and pole vault, from Lance Yassey and Michael Benz, respectively.

Junior Billy Bishop, also a member of the Penn football team, recorded the second best throw in the shot put event. His 15.29m hurl just narrowly edged out West Point’s Garret Kohnke by a mere tenth of a meter.

Next weekend the Quakers travel to the Widener Invitational, in Chester, Pa. It will be their second to last competition before the Penn Relays.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.