It’s the most wonderful time of the year for Penn track fans.
Penn men and women's indoor track and field enters the season eager to improve upon their second and third place finishes at last year’s Ivy League Heptagonal Championships. While the distance squad has already worked through a competitive cross-country season, some sprinters and field specialists have been hard at work in the off-season.
Top returners to watch from the men's team
Last season, senior high jump specialist Kampton Kam was the golden boy of Penn men's track and field. He started off the season strong, building on personal-best performances to eventually break the Singaporean national record in the high jump.
Kam showed out as the sole Quaker at NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Nationals last March, nabbing All-American honors in the process. The only mark Kam has yet to conquer is the high jump program record set in 2014. Will his final season with the Quakers be as record-breaking as the rest of his collegiate career?
Junior hurdler/sprinter and two-time All-American Ryan Matulonis notably earned a pair of silver medals at the FISU World University Games this summer as an individual in the 400-meter hurdles and as a part of the 4x400 relay, which also featured junior sprinter Nayyir Newash-Campbell.
Over the past two years, Matulonis has already racked up an impressive resume, including semifinal appearances at the 2024 United States Track and Field Olympic Trials, multiple program records, and three individual Ivy League titles. Despite all his achievements, Matulonis has yet to make it to Indoor Nationals because his signature events — the 400 meter hurdles and 500 meter run — are not offered.
Newash-Campbell enters the season a two-time Ivy League outdoor champion and program-record holder in the 400 meter run. Despite dominating the outdoor season and showing out on international soil last summer, he has yet to convert that momentum into his indoor performances, which culminated in fourth place finishes at Heps.
Senior hurdler and Ivy League 60m hurdles record-holder Shane Gardner makes his triumphant return to Penn Track after ending the 2025 outdoor season early at Penn Relays. Gardner looks to defend his back-to-back Ivy League title in the 60 meter hurdles.
Senior multis specialist and defending Ivy League champion in the heptathlon Jake Rose will also return to indoor track and field competition seeking glory.
Top returners to watch from the women's team
Senior sprinter Moforehan Abinusawa, the Ivy League 60m record holder and seven-time individual Ivy League champion, is the pride of Ivy League sprinting. But last spring, she missed out on NCAA D1 Outdoor Track and Field Nationals in the 100 by mere milliseconds. All eyes are on Abinusawa to defend her 60-meter title and reclaim her title in the indoor 200.
2025 was a banner year for senior thrower and All-American Angeludi Asaah, who ended her track season at Hayward Field for Outdoor Nationals. Last season, Asaah broke the program record in the outdoor shot and improved to second all-time for indoor.
Junior multis specialist Amelia Kristen enters indoor competition after a record-setting runner-up finish at indoor Heps. While Kristen decided to focus on long hurdles during the outdoor season, her dominance in the 800-meter is an asset for Penn’s multi-event squad.
The big meets on the horizon
Penn indoor track opens their season at home on Dec. 5. The Penn Opener will feature both in- and out-of-conference foes, with notable threats coming from Princeton, Penn State, and Georgetown. Georgetown’s mid-distance lineup features sophomore Olivia Williams, who transferred out of Penn last year.
The Penn 10 Elite Meet will feature deep competition from all around the country to ring in the New Year, including the 2025 NCAA Division I women’s cross-country team runner-up BYU and Big Ten threat Wisconsin.
The Quaker distance squad will head to Boston in mid-February for the David Hemery Valentine Invitational. Last season, the men’s 5k program record fell on the Terrier track, which is also where the 5k and 4x800 world record fell.
The Quaker sprints and field events squad will face stiff SEC competition in mid-February at the Tiger Paw Invitational. School records were set on South Carolina soil last year in the men’s 4x400, men’s 400m dash, men’s 60m hurdles, and the women’s triple jump.
Winning the Ivy League Heptagonal Championship is the ultimate goal for every Ivy League athlete. But for Penn track and field, it’s an imperative. After finishing second and third last year at Indoor Heps, the Quakers are prepared to put up a fight for first place as some fresh recruits are turning up the heat.
Promising young talent on both teams
Freshman multis/jump specialist Yuliya Masloukaya is arguably the strongest Penn recruit since American record holder and 2024 College graduate Isabella Whittaker. Masloukaya showed out at New Balance Nationals last June, putting up 5582 points in the heptathlon — a number-two all-time U18 performance — to earn the victory and Girls Field Athlete of the Meet honors. Her personal records in multis would put her at first and second in the all-time program records for the heptathlon and pentathlon, respectively.
Freshman long jumper Leo Francis also enters his first collegiate season with personal bests that would break long-running program records. Francis also stands out as the only current Ivy League sprinter finishing under 21 seconds in the 200-meter, which would have clinched the Heps title last indoor season.
Two freshman shot put standouts enter the arena in Colter Oldham and Jessica Oji. Both Oldham and Oji’s personal bests in the shot would shatter the standing program record by at least three feet, making the Penn throws squad even more competitive at the national level.
It’s safe to say that Penn track fans have a lot to look forward to this December.
