Penn men's and women's track and field competed at the NCAA Division I Indoor Championships at The Track at New Balance in Boston.
Credit: Anna VazhaeparambilOver the weekend, Penn men's and women's track and field competed at the NCAA Division I Indoor Championships at The Track at New Balance in Boston. Penn brought seven athletes to the event, which comprised half of the entire Ivy League’s cohort.
Sophomore standout Kampton Kam competed in the high jump, surpassing 2.10-meters. With the performance, Kam became just the second high jumper in Penn history to feature at the Indoor Championships. Originally from Singapore, Kam — whose first season at Penn was largely derailed by injury — surpassed his season best from last year, which was 2.08m. Since recovering from injury, consistency and progress have defined Kam’s time with the Quakers, which culminated in a championship performance at the highest level.
The Red and Blue also found success in the pole vault. Junior James Rhoads who set the Penn program record just weeks ago finished in fourth place. Rhoads was joined on the podium by senior Scott Toney who finished in fifth. Both pole vaulters tapped out on the day at 5.50m behind Kentucky's Keaton Daniel's 5.70m, Arkansas State's Brad Jelmert's 5.65m, and Virginia Tech's Conner McClure's 5.55m.
One Quaker who was sorely missed during the championships was senior Isabella Whittaker. After previously breaking the Ivy League 400- and 500-meter records this season, Whittaker was unable to compete due to injury. Scheduled to run the women’s 400 semifinal, Whittaker was slated to compete against other top performers, including Arkansas freshman Kaylyn Brown and Arkansas junior Joanne Reid. Whittaker’s top time from the season of 51.69, an Ivy League record, was seeded as seventh amongst all competitors in the field.
Penn also felt Whittaker's absence during the 4x400 relay, though her teammates were still able to perform in her absence. The Quakers faced stiff competition going up against the likes of other top teams in the nation including USC, Houston, and Texas, who ended up finishing in second, third, and fourth, respectively. USC finished with a time of 3:27.62, Houston finished with a time of 3:28.28, and Texas finished with a time of 3:28.91. Sophomore Christiana Nwachuku, junior Jocelyn Niemiec, senior Aliya Garozzo, and sophomore Moforehan Abinusawa ran for the Quakers. The team clocked in with a time of 3:31.82, finishing ninth out of 12 teams, earning second-team All-America honors as a result.
Looking ahead, the Quakers will begin the 2024 outdoor season with the the Penn Challenge at Franklin Field on March 23.
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