Spring sports have sprung.
Penn track and field has had a competitive slate of meets leading up to the much anticipated Penn Relay Carnival later this April. Program records have been reset. Underclassmen have etched their names in the program record books among the greats. The Quakers are making themselves known on the national level as the height of the outdoor season approaches.
Before the Quakers head to Gainesville, Fla., and Chester, Pa., for the Tom Jones Invitational and Paul Donahue Invitational, respectively, let’s break down the ten most impressive performances of the early season.
10. Freshman distance specialist Vinay Raman’s consistency over 800 meters at the Spec Towns Invitational and Raleigh Relays
Raman played a critical role in the Quakers’ 4x800-meter relay at the Ivy League Indoor Heptagonal Championships, which beat out conference rivals in a meet-record performance for the Ivy title.
He also showed out for his outdoor season debut at the Raleigh Relays, pulling away from Buffalo’s Aidan Norris during the final lap to win his heat of the 800-meter run at the Raleigh Relays. He finished 22nd overall out of 193 runners.
Although Raman was seeded in the less competitive open 800-meter run at the inaugural Spec Towns Invitational, he would ultimately run the fastest time over 800 meters across both fields. In only two weeks, Raman lowered his all-time personal record by three seconds, going from 1:51.09 to 1:48.76. The distance specialist and former DP sports writer now ranks No. 4 in program history in the men’s outdoor 800-meter run.
9. Senior javelin specialist Atticus Soehren and junior multis specialist Madison Knier’s all-time javelin marks
The defending Ivy League javelin champion Soehren asserted his dominance at the Hurricane Invitational two weeks ago.
Soehren started his final season with the Quakers with a personal-best 67.47-meter (221 feet, 4 inch) throw, moving up to No. 4 all-time in the program record book.
Knier also showed out closer to home at the Sam Howell Invitational hosted by conference foe Princeton two weeks ago.
Knier — who also writes for The Daily Pennsylvanian’s sports section — snatched the crown by over two meters with a personal-best 47.60-meter (156 feet, 2 inch) lob. Knier also beat her previous personal best, set at her final meet of the 2025 season, by over two meters.
Both athletes will be a force to watch out for at Heps and NCAA East Regionals.
8. Junior hurdler Shane Gardner’s triumphant return to the 110-meter hurdles at the Hurricane Invitational
The man, the myth, the legend. Gardner is back in action.
Last season, Gardner saw his outdoor season cut short due to injury. During his brief 2025 outdoor campaign, Gardner lowered the 110-meter hurdle program record to 13.68.
At the Hurricane Invitational two weeks ago, Gardner ran 14.00 into a headwind in the 110-meter hurdles finals for the silver. At the Sam Howell Invitational, Gardner upped the ante even more, running 13.81 in the 110-meter hurdles finals for his first win of the season. The Sugar Land, Tex. native is currently tied for 25th in the NCAA after his performance last weekend.
Gardner won the 2024 Ivy League title in the 110-meter hurdles. If he wants another conference title, he’ll have to face off against defending champ Greg Foster of Princeton, who narrowly defeated Gardner for the 60-meter hurdles conference title at indoor Heps.
7. Senior distance specialist Lily Murphy shines in the 10k Invitational at the Raleigh Relays
Murphy continues to make a name for herself despite the competition.
At the Raleigh Relays, Murphy faced a particularly deep field, including fierce competition from Florida duo Hilda Olemomoi, who placed 3rd at NCAA Cross Country Championships, and Judy Chepkoech, who placed 5th in the 5K at NCAA Indoor Nationals. Although Olemomoi ultimately took the win, Murphy proved herself on a national stage, finishing 10th overall in a field of All-Americans and seasoned professionals.
The Summit, N.J. native currently sits at No. 22 in the NCAA. Two seasons ago, Murphy made it to NCAA Outdoor Nationals for the distance double (5K and 10K), but she ultimately didn’t compete due to injury. During her final lap with the Quakers, Murphy will attempt to finish the job.
6. Junior distance specialist Sarah Fischer weathers the storm in a rained-out 5K at the Raleigh Relays
Not many runners can double back after torrential downpour cuts your race short, but Fischer is something else.
Fischer was on pace to break sixteen minutes in the 5K for the first time in her career when lightning struck, cutting her heat short. The Hinsdale, Ill. native was in the lead at the 3400-meter mark as she was pulled off the track with her competitors.
“I felt really good during the race and knew I was in a good position to run a fast time,” Fischer wrote. “Being pulled off made me feel so powerless. There was so much going through my head, it was definitely hard to organize my thoughts enough to have anything solid come out of it.”
Fischer’s heat was the only section impacted by inclement weather. In order to even the odds, the Raleigh Relays officials decided to let Fischer and her competitors have another go at the 5K the following morning when the weather cleared.
Over half of the field either didn’t start or didn’t finish the race, but Fischer prevailed despite the odds, finishing second in her heat behind Notre Dame’s Chloe Huyler. Fischer ultimately improved her outdoor 5K record by over a minute, moving to No. 6 all-time in program history.
“I try my best not to dwell on things I can’t change,” Fischer wrote. “Even though I enjoy having a larger heat to compete against, by the time they cut the race off I was racing against the two Notre Dame girls, and they did come back on Saturday, so as far as I was concerned, everyone I needed to compete against was there.”
“The situation was less than ideal, but I knew all I could do was run my best and see what I could do,” Fischer added.
5. Senior thrower Angeludi Asaah wins the discus in Athens, Ga.
Asaah stunned in her signature event at the inaugural Spec Towns Invitational last weekend.
Asaah displayed remarkable consistency, going out with a season-best 56.66-meter lob. She never threw under 53.7 meters and only fouled twice in the pit, beating out second by one-and-a-half meters. The Honolulu native was also only half a meter off her career best 57.04-meter throw set last April at the South Florida Invitational.
An All-American in the event, Asaah is determined to make her way back to Heyward Field for NCAAs in June. Her showing last weekend helps her case tremendously, as she currently sits at 11th in the nation in the discus.
4. Men’s 4x400-meter relay program record falls at the Spec Towns Invitational
A relay record fell just in time for Penn Relays.
The Quakers proved themselves among the best at the Spec Towns Invitational in a deep 4x400-meter relay field. Sophomore hurdler David Davitt led the charge before handing off to junior sprinter Nayyir Newash-Campbell, who kept the Quakers in contention with the Purdue Boilermakers and the Georgia Bulldogs.
Georgia freshman Jonathan Simms split a nasty 43.98 on the Bulldogs’ third leg, propelling Georgia to first place, while sophomore distance runner Ben Markham held off an advance from Princeton’s Kavon Miller. The anchor legs featured a rematch of the Ivy Heps 4x400-meter relay contest, where junior hurdler Ryan Matulonis and Princeton sprinter Joey Gant pushed each other to the line. Ultimately, the Tigers came out on top by two hundredths of a second, but the Quakers captured the program record.
3. Newash-Campbell runs the first sub-46-second 400-meter run in program history at the Sam Howell Invitational
Newash-Campbell earned his first individual indoor Ivy League title in March. He’s out for blood during the outdoor season, hoping to defend his outdoor 400-meter title in May and capture his first berth to NCAAs in June.
Newash-Campbell famously broke the 400-meter program record last season, which was the longest standing program record at the time. Just last weekend, he lowered the record once again, crossing the line in 45.89 for the first sub-46-second 400-meter run in program history. Newash-Campbell is just over half a second off the modern Ivy League record, which was set by Columbia sprinter Erison Hurtault in 2007.
The Plainfield, Ind. native’s performance was the 23rd-fastest performance in the NCAA this season, putting him well within the regional qualifying range.
2. Freshman thrower Jessica Oji shatters outdoor shot put record in her outdoor collegiate debut
The freshman isn’t here to play.
Oji made her outdoor collegiate debut last weekend at the Spec Towns Invitational. Just like her indoor debut, Oji decimated the previous program record with her first lob. It only got better from there, as Oji was able to improve to an 18.10-meter shot on her third attempt, securing second place overall behind three-time Olympian Danniel Thomas-Dodd.
The Livingston, N.J. native, who represents Nigeria in athletics competitions, currently ranks No. 1 in the NCAA in the shot put. Her mark at the Ivy League Championships in March is the 19th-best performance in the world this year.
1. Matulonis runs second best 400-meter hurdles time in the nation to win Hurricane Invitational, lowers personal best at Spec Towns
Mark my words — Matulonis is nothing short of a generational talent.
Matulonis ended the indoor season on a high note, staving off Gant at the line to capture the 4x400-meter relay title at Heps. But his real specialty — the 400-meter hurdles — is an outdoor-exclusive event.
A two-time All-American and two-time Ivy League champion in the event, Matulonis entered his junior outdoor season with something to prove. At the Hurricane Invitational, Matulonis went head to head with Georgia hurdler and sprinter Mohamed Adoini, who finished seventh in the 400-meter hurdles at last year’s NCAA Division II Outdoor Nationals. In his first 400-meter hurdles of the season, Matulonis beat Adoini by thousandths of a second to clinch the win.
Adoini and Matulonis had a much-anticipated rematch at the inaugural Spec Towns Invitational hosted on Adoini’s home track. Although Adoini won the battle, Matulonis may prove to win the war, as his 49.39 finish was one hundredth of a second off his all-time personal record set at last year’s FISU World University Games.
The Scotch Plains, N.J. native has always been a contender in the 400-meter hurdles. He’s currently ranked second in the NCAA and 12th in the world in the event. But this season, he may achieve the impossible: shattering the program record and Ivy League record, which have stood since 1972.
Honorable Mentions: Freshman sprinter Jailyn Milord in the 100-meter dash at the Sam Howell Invitational and 400-meter run at the Hurricane Invitational; junior thrower Ella Neskora with a hammer throw at the Sam Howell Invitational; freshman sprinter Rianna Floyd in the 200-meter dash at the Sam Howell Invitational
Penn track and field has one more weekend of away meets on the docket before returning to Franklin Field for the 130th running of the Penn Relays.
