Penn track and field starts season strong with impressive showing at TCNJ Opener

Starting its season on a high note, Penn track and field turned in a strong performance this weekend, which featured impressive debuts from newcomers and personal bests from returning athletes.

Both the men's and women's teams travelled to New York for the TCNJ Indoor Opener and combined to win 13 events in total. 

The night for the women was marked with numerous athletes setting personal records. 

Senior Rachel Lee Wilson beat her personal best in women’s weight throw with a distance of 20.04 meters to take the top spot. Behind Wilson was freshman Hawa Mahama, who secured second place with a 17.21m throw.

Although junior Maura Kimmel already holds the top spot in Penn’s record books for the shot put, she was able to distance herself even further from second place. Kimmel claimed first with her record-setting 16.28m throw. Right behind her in second was sophomore Ashley Anumba with a 14.64m throw. 

Senior Meghan Barnes continued her dominance from last season as she won first place in the 60m hurdles with a personal best time of 8.69 seconds. Junior Elena Brown-Soler was able to edge out Delaware's Carlyn McGrath with a time of 9.13 to take the third spot.

In the women’s high jump, senior Anna Peyton Malizia and junior Olivia Welsh placed first and second, respectively. 

The Red and Blue also swept the top three in the women’s pole vault, with junior Katie Schroeder leading the pack with a height of 3.79m. 

In the 60m dash, junior Cecil Ene secured first place with a personal best of 7.68, with senior Imani Solan right behind her with a time of 7.71. 

Sophomore Melissa Tanaka and freshman Caroline O'Sullivan took the top two spots in the 1000m run. In the 5000m run, the Quakers also finished first and second, with sophomore Alyssa Condell leading with a personal best 17:14.03. Junior Juliet Kohli claimed second place.

Although the men’s results were not as impressive, the group was able to win six events while setting multiple personal records. 

The most impressive showing came in the men’s mile run, where Penn’s only competition came from itself, as the top five spots were all owned by the Red and Blue. Freshman Ray Sellaro edged out sophomore Noah Carey by two-tenths of a second for the top spot. Junior Mitchell Poynter set a career-best in the event with a time of 4:11.13, as he came in third place.

The Quakers also swept the top five in the 1000m run with freshmen James Lee, William Hare, Tim Dolan, and Aaron Siff-Scherr claiming the first four spots, respectively. 

In the pole vault, junior Sean Clarke, freshman Payton Morris, and junior Nathan Fisher claimed the top three. Clarke cleared 5.40m to reset the school record he already owned.

Sophomore Jake Kubiatowicz’s weight throw of 18.71m not only got him first place, but also put him in the Penn records books at third.

In the 60m dash, sophomore Marvin Morgan came in second, while senior Joe Novak placed second in the 600m run. 

Another standout freshman, Enoch Cheung, took first place in the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.15, catapulting him into sixth all-time in Penn’s record books. 

With a strong opener from both freshmen and returners alike, the Quakers will look to maintain this high level of competition next weekend at Harvard.