Valentine’s Day weekend was full of love and heartbreak for Penn track and field.
The Quakers were divided for a weekend of away meets in Boston and Clemson, S.C. Although the squads would usually be split for this weekend of competition, with distance runners competing in Boston and sprints/field heading to Clemson, three distance runners made an appearance at Clemson’s Tiger Paw Invitational as part of the men’s 4x400-meter relay squad.
Freshman distance runner Joseph “Tiago” Socarras continued drawing attention after winning the men’s 800-meter run by two seconds, with a time of 1:46.28. As if that wasn’t enough, Socarras bested his own program record set just a week prior by 0.7 seconds, good for 10th in the NCAA as of publication.
“I never really get nervous before races because the Ivy League doesn’t pay me, so I can just go out there and have fun,” Socarras said. “I want to race guys that I’m told I’m going to lose to because then I’m not gonna lose, and that’s gonna be amazing.”
“A lot of guys train to compete, but I’m training to dominate,” Socarras added.
The Miami native also ran the third leg on the record-breaking men’s 4x400-meter relay, which featured sophomore distance runner Benjamin Markham, junior sprinter/hurdler Ryan Matulonis, and junior sprinter Nayyir Newash-Campbell. Although all four ran impressive splits, Matulonis stole the show with a 45.15-second anchor leg to propel the Quakers to a section victory.
The men’s 4x400-meter program record has already fallen three times this season, falling from 3:09.78 at the season opener to 3:06.35 last Saturday at Clemson.
Here’s what else went down during the dual-meet weekend.
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Tiger Paw Invitational
Stiff SEC opposition in Clemson, S.C. soured the competition for many of the Quakers’ finest sprinters and field athletes.
Senior sprinter Moforehan Abinusawa finished 23rd in the semifinals of the 60-meter dash in a field of top collegiate and professional athletes. The final round was ultimately cancelled due to excessive scratches across the field.
Senior hurdler Shane Gardner also faced elite competition in the 60-meter hurdles; he advanced to the semifinals but failed to qualify for the final round of competition for the first time this season.
Freshman thrower Jessica Oji saw her undefeated season end with a runner-up finish in the invitational section of the women’s shot put. Oji’s best mark this season still stands at No. 2 in the NCAA.
Freshman sprinter Jailyn Milord finished third in the women’s 400-meter run and was the second fastest freshman in the event. Milord clocked the second fastest 400-meter time in program history, only behind 2024 College graduate and indoor 400-meter American record holder Bella Whittaker.
Milord also shone in the 200-meter dash to reach a personal-best 23.88, good for fourth in program history. If the second 400 and third 200 of her collegiate career set the tone for the remainder of the season, Milord will be a tough obstacle to overcome at the upcoming Ivy League Heptagonal Championships.
Matulonis also broke his personal record in the 400, retaining the No. 2 spot in the program record book with a 46.37-second performance. He placed 18th overall out of a deep 68-competitor field.
David Hemery Valentine Invitational
Hundreds of distance runners flocked to the famed Boston University track for its annual Valentine Invitational as several Quakers managed to come out on top.
Sophomore distance runners Quin Stovall and L’Mio Edwards pulled off a masterclass in the open 800-meter run, finishing second and third out of almost 200 runners. Stovall was neck-and-neck with Edwards in their heat, but ultimately beat out her teammate, running one hundredth of a second slower than her all-time personal best.
“This weekend I focused on running from a place of joy and fun rather than fear,” Stovall wrote in a statement to The Daily Pennsylvanian. “I told myself on the line that I was exactly where I wanted to be. Ultimately, when we raced I didn’t feel intimidated by anyone in the stadium, [I was] just excited to give winning my best effort.”
Junior distance runner Sarah Fischer improved her personal-best in the 5-kilometer race by over a minute to finish fourth in her section. Senior Anna Weirich was close behind in her first indoor 5K since transferring to Penn from UCLA, and Fischer’s and Weirich’s times are good for third and fourth in program history, respectively.
Senior distance runner Nick Carpenter led the charge in the men’s open 3K, finishing with a season best of 8:05.52. Sophomore distance runner Shane Murphy and junior distance runner Kofi Fordjour followed just behind with personal-best performances.
The Quakers return to the Ott Center for Track and Field on Friday, Feb. 20 to compete in the Philadelphia Metro meet, which is track and field’s version of the Big 5 tournament of Philadelphia college basketball. It is the last regular meet of the indoor season as Ivy Heps and NCAA Indoor National Championships loom just around the corner.
