Alongside Joey Rhodes, senior pole-vaulter Scott Toney successfully advanced to the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
Credit: Nathaniel SirlinSchool’s out and while most Penn students are soaking in the sun or starting their summer internships, there’s still plenty of business left for Penn men’s track and field to wrap up.
Following a strong outdoor season that saw the Red and Blue finish third at the Outdoor Heptagonal Championships, the Quakers had 12 different athletes qualify for the 2024 NCAA East First Round meet. Making it this far was an accomplishment already, but the ultimate goal — as always — is to aim for a championship finish.
As the meet kicked off under less than ideal conditions in Lexington, Ky., it was all or nothing. Only the top 12 athletes in each event would advance to the 2024 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships set to take place in Eugene, Ore. in the beginning of June. As such, the margins of error were practically nonexistent.
The pole vaulting duo of senior Scott Toney and junior Jimmy Rhoads understood the assignment, becoming the first and second Quakers to punch their tickets to Eugene at this year’s competition. With successful clearances at the heights of 5.42 and 5.32 meters respectively, the two will be returning to the Outdoor Championships for the second consecutive year.
Previously this year, Rhoads and Toney finished in fourth and fifth at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships — the best finish by the Quakers in program history. The duo also holds the program’s best and second-best marks in the event with Rhoads coming in on top with a height of 5.62 meters and Toney clocking in with a personal best of 5.54 meters. The two will be aiming for the podium in Eugene.
“For them to go back is very good. Those guys have been … so consistent and so on all year,” said Assistant Director of Track & Field Joe Klim. “It was hard for me to believe they weren't gonna make it and not to take it for granted because it's really frickin' hard. But they've been so dialed in, so it's awesome.”
Rounding out the pole vaulting group, junior Benedikt Šachta finished the competition in 37th place, tapping out at a height of 4.92 meters. Also on the field, sophomore Atticus Soehren finished in 41st in the javelin throw with a distance of 58.49 meters.
While sophomore high jumper Kampton Kam was unable to advance to the finals, Kam's height of 2.14 meters was good enough for a 20th place finish. This performance comes after an outdoors season that has seen Kam compete just once after sustaining a foot injury that sidelined him for much of the spring.
“I knew it was gonna take something special for Kampton coming in,” Klim said, “But he's been hurt all year … The big thing with him is to keep him healthy and that's gonna be the big thing — to really figure that piece out.”
On the track, the Quakers found success with their hurdlers. Sophomore hurdler Shane Gardner kicked things off with a 13.93-second 110-meter hurdles performance that saw him just miss out on a spot in the finals on day three as he finished in 26th. In the 400-meter hurdles, freshman Ryan Matulonis continued to build on his year of success in the event. After clocking a time of 50.81 to advance himself into the finals, Matulonis finished in ninth with a time of 49.97 to become the third male Quaker to punch his ticket to Eugene.
In the 800-meter, junior Titus Bretzke failed to advance past day one after crossing the finish line with a time of 1:51.36, which placed him in 39th place. The 4x400-meter relay team also struggled as the group consisting of Matulonis, freshman Nayyir Newash-Campbell, senior Dimitri Nicholson, and sophomore Andrew O'Donnell finished in dead last with a time of 3:08.61.
Newash-Campbell found more success individually, as he ran a personal-best 46.66 seconds that narrowly secured himself a spot in the finals. In the finals, Newash-Campbell clocked in at 47.22 en route to a 22nd place finish. And while his season also comes to a close, the finish is a promising one to the seasons to come.
Matulonis, Rhoads, and Toney will take the track again at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships set to take place in Eugene, Ore. from June 5 to June 8.
“[I’m] just really proud of the group [that’ll be] competing at the top level of the NCAA, which is just an amazing accomplishment,” Director of Track & Field Steve Dolan said. “And it's been fun to watch our athletes rise to that occasion. So it's gonna be fun.”
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