New York, NY – There’s no ceiling for Penn indoor track and field.
The Quakers took on the rest of the Ivy conference last weekend at the storied Armory Foundation. Both the men’s and women’s squads tallied program-high point totals in runner-up finishes behind Princeton.
Freshman thrower Jessica Oji took down her Ivy League record with her first lob in the women’s shot put, throwing an impressive 18.50 meters. Oji, who began representing Nigeria in competition at the end of January, also took down the African shot put record set just one day prior by Nebraska senior Mine de Klerk.
“I’m feeling great,” Oji said just after the competition. “I won’t even lie, I had one throw get away from me in my fifth round throw, but 18.50, I will 100% take that.”
At only eighteen years old, Oji is ranked No. 2 in the NCAA and No. 3 in the world among shot putters, and she wears it all with a smile. The Livingston, N.J. native is no stranger to drawing a crowd whenever she competes. Despite the spectacle, she made time to celebrate with senior teammate Angeludi Asaah, who earned the silver in the shot put with a season-best 16.14-meter throw.
Senior standout sprinter Moforehan Abinusawa successfully defended her title in the 60-meter dash while picking up another crown in the 200-meter dash. Abinusawa has won the 60-meter dash at every Ivy League tournament since 2023.
Abinusawa’s victories were made even sweeter by her finishes. In the first heat of the preliminary rounds for the 60, Abinusawa charged ahead of the field in a blazing 7.22, over a quarter of a second faster than the next finisher. Abinusawa tied Olympic Gold Medalist Gabby Thomas’ Ivy League record at Heps in 2024, and in 2026 she finally broke it.
Although Abinusawa didn’t advance to the finals of the 200 at last year’s Heps, she cruised to victory in a new program record 23.30. The Fort Washington, Pa. native capped off a historic senior indoor season as Co-Most Outstanding Track Athlete alongside Harvard’s Sophia Gorriaran.
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Here’s how the rest of the competition went down.
Women
Freshman multis/jumps specialist Yuliya Maslouskaya took home the first title on the women’s side, narrowly beating junior Amelia Kristen by 11 points in the pentathlon. After finishing fifth overall in the 60-meter hurdles to open the pentathlon, Maslouskaya rose through the ranks with strong performances in the high jump and shot put.
The Belarusian was firmly in second behind Cornell’s Paula-Marie Brown until the final event: the 800-meter run. Maslouskaya wouldn’t give up so easily, chasing down Kristen during the final two laps to finish in a five-second personal-record. As if that wasn’t impressive enough, Maslouskaya recorded personal records across every pentathlon event except her speciality – the high jump.
“This meet was the boost,” Maslouskaya said as she came off the track. “I just had to believe in myself … you have to believe that no matter what, you have to remember what you did before.”
“The power of imagination is so big,” Maslouskaya added. “You just have to be tough on the track, you just have to believe it more.”
Off the track, Maslouskaya believed in her teammates, evading the hurdles corralling high jumpers on the infield to congratulate fellow freshman Adèle Martin. Martin edged out two runners in a dead sprint in the final lap of the 1000 to claim the silver, finishing just ahead of sophomore L’Mio Edwards.
Martin and Edwards reunited in the 4x800-meter relay as the first and second legs, respectively. Martin handed off to Edwards in fourth place, but Edwards made a move in the last half to shrink the gap. Although Edwards was preparing for an outside takeover, Princeton stunned with a quick turn into the bank, overshadowing her attempt. A cat-and-mouse game ensued, and although sophomore Quin Stovall led from the hand-off of the anchor leg, she couldn’t hold off Princeton’s final kick.
The 4x8 was Stovall’s second silver medal of the competition, as she finished just behind Gorriaran in the 800 earlier on in the competition. The Philadelphian stuck with the five-time All-American for the entire race, finishing in a two-second personal-best 2:05.30.
The distance squad also shone in the distance medley relay, which consisted of freshman Alexa Matora, sophomore Milan Ramey, freshman Izzy Rodriguez, and senior Lily Murphy. Murphy anchored the squad to the silver in her second meet back after a season-ending injury last fall. Murphy also earned the bronze in the 3000-meter run on Saturday.
Freshman sprinter Jailyn Milord was one of the brightest stars on the track by winning the 400-meter run. Milord currently ranks 2nd in program history in both the 200 and the 400.
Milord was dynamic on the oval, commanding the audience’s attention by throwing her hands up in the air just before the start of the 400 finals, almost as if declaring her intent to win.
“It feels amazing,” Milord said of winning an Ivy League title as a freshman. “All glory to Jesus, I wouldn’t be here without him … I feel confident, I’ve been working through a lot of mental things, but each and every day, I’m getting stronger, not only physically but mentally.”
Senior thrower Stella Inman ended her final indoor competition with a bang, finishing second in the women’s weight throw. Sophomore high jumper Zofia Limbert was the last Quaker on the podium from the field squads, also earning a silver medal.
Men
Freshman pole vaulter Thomas Bucks claimed the first title of the meet in an electric finish. Bucks ecstatically jumped off the mat after tying his personal best — a 5.20-meter vault — that Princeton’s Jacob Emerson ultimately could not overcome. Sophomore Alex Georgiev also got points on the board for the Quakers, earning the bronze with a 4.95-meter vault.
Bucks wasn’t the only freshman to show up and show out on the field. Freshman jumper Matthew Kathiravelu made his presence known early on Sunday morning, improving his personal best by over a foot and a half to win the triple jump. This is Kathiravelu’s first collegiate victory.
Senior high jumper and Singapore national record holder Kampton Kam added another Ivy League title to his resume on Sunday afternoon. He stood on the podium alongside senior Mark Hellwig and sophomore Oliver Hassard, who finished 2nd and 4th, respectively.
“It’s bittersweet for sure because I had envisioned this being my last competition at practice many times and tried feeling what I needed to feel (the pressure and atmosphere) but I wasn’t prepared still for what it actually felt,” Kam wrote.
Senior multis/hurdles specialist Jake Rose added another Ivy League title to his resume as well, winning the heptathlon in a landslide after finishing first in five of the seven events.
Senior hurdler Shane Gardner also performed impressively on the infield, lowering his conference record during the preliminary round of the 60-meter hurdles. In the finals, Gardner made history as one of the first Ivy League hurdlers to go under the 7.7-second mark. Gardner ultimately claimed the silver, missing out on the title by two thousandths of a second.
Freshman mid-distance phenom Joseph “Tiago” Socarras commanded the stadium from the moment he stepped on the oval for the preliminary rounds of the 1000. Socarras narrowly led the pack for most of the race during the finals, leading challengers by a stride or two until he began sprinting during the final lap. Although the Miami native took down his program record set at the season opener, he felt as though he had more to give.
“Honestly, [I’m] a little disappointed I couldn’t do more,” Socarras said. “I wished I could’ve run the 800 or [that I] could’ve run a faster 1K, but that’s the past, and I’m still pretty happy.”
Socarras was able to get more points on the board as a member of the 4x800 relay squad. Junior Nicholas DeVita led off the Quakers in a tight field, handing off to freshman Vinay Raman in seventh place. Raman moved with momentum, propelling the Quakers from last to first before handing off to senior Nicolas Pizarro.
When Socarras entered the fray, the Quakers were in second place by a few centimeters. By the time he finished, the Quakers led the field by three seconds.
Neither Socarras nor sophomore Ben Markham were entered in the 800 despite being ranked first and fourth in the conference prior to Heps. However, Markham was able to make an impact in the 500-meter run, earning the bronze in a new personal record.
Junior Ryan Matulonis ran under the previous Ivy League record in the 500, but fell to Princeton’s Jonathon York by a mere hundredth of a second. In the 4x400-meter relay, Matulonis and York faced off again as the anchors of two dominant squads. Unlike last time, Matulonis pulled away at the line to win the rematch, securing a Quaker victory by over three tenths of a second.
“It was exhilarating,” Matulonis said of his finish. “The 4x4 at Heps is always an amazing event. I had a bit of a disappointing afternoon, so I was coming out with a little vengeance. I think that helped me get the edge.”
Junior sprinter Nayyir Newash-Campbell came away from Heps with his first indoor title in the 400. Newash-Campbell is also the defending outdoor 400 Ivy League champion.
“I feel really good,” Newash-Campbell said. “I always struggle with indoor, so it’s nice to finally get it done, build some momentum going into my outdoor season.”
Although most Quakers are gearing up for the outdoor season, Oji and Socarras will be representing the Red and Blue at NCAA Indoor Nationals in Fayetteville, Ark. on March 14 and 15.
“I see the fire within this team burning: I’m sure this is only the beginning,” Kam wrote. “Penn track is on the new wave, and I’m confident that we are on the right trajectory.”
