At the New Balance Outdoor Nationals from June 18-21, Penn track and field commits faced off against some of the best athletes in the nation on their future home turf.
Incoming freshman Nicholas Mazzeo stole the show, resetting a five-year-old national record in only his third 2,000-meter steeplechase ever. Mazzeo was in the top pack from the gun before breaking away in the second lap. His lead widened as the race progressed, and he held off a last-minute effort from Cornell commit Ibrahim Ford on the final straightaway despite stumbling on the last barrier.
The Lower Merion, Pa., native became the first and only high schooler to run under 5:40 in the event, clocking a 5:37.60 finish. His prowess in the steeplechase will prove to be an asset for the Quakers in the 2027 outdoor season, with Princeton sweeping the top five spots in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 2026 Ivy League Heptagonal Outdoor Championships.
Mazzeo’s no stranger to All-American finishes at Franklin Field, placing second behind BYU commit Jackson Spencer in the 5,000-meter run on the first day of competition. Mazzeo’s 14:27.32 finish in the event would have been second at Outdoor Heps, contributing eight valuable points to the Quakers’ campaign.
There were high expectations for incoming freshman Allison Lee to perform after resetting the New Jersey state record in the two-mile earlier this season. Despite running the No. 4 all-time high school mark in April, Lee was staring down some tough competition in Indiana commit Katy Zang, who bested Lee at the New Balance Indoor Nationals in March.
Although Lee led from the gun, Zang took over during the second lap. Lee would stay on Zang’s heels through the first mile, keeping with the top pack until Zang quickened the pace. Lee stuck with the newly formed chase pack until a remarkable late-race effort from Florida commit Maggie McCormick widened the gap.
Despite being overtaken during the final straightaway, Lee’s consistency was good enough for sixth place overall and her first career outdoor All-American honors. She finished in 10:00.79, splitting 9:21.74 at the 3,000-meter mark.
Incoming freshman Brenan McCabe faced one of the deepest fields at this year’s New Balance Nationals in the men’s 400-meter run. Power 4 commits and dominant talents threatened McCabe’s chances to capture a national championship.
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Connecticut’s state 400-meter record holder took off quickly in the final heat, but stronger performances stifled his hopes of becoming an All-American. In the end, McCabe missed out on All-American honors by a mere two tenths of a second, ultimately finishing fifth in his heat and ninth in the nation in 47.34.
All-time marks went down on Franklin Field’s turf as the nation’s best athletes showed up and showed out.
Bergen Catholic stunned defending champions and former meet record holders Archbishop Carroll in the boys’ 4x200-meter relay, lowering the previous mark by over a tenth of a second. Illinois commit Ian Hill lowered the meet record in the boys’ 400-meter hurdles by half a second, edging out NC State commit Nyan Brown at the line for the title.
Jasmine Jackson of Winslow Township, N.J., shattered the girls’ 100-meter hurdles record set by UCLA commit Kassidy Hopkins during the prelims with a 13.04-second finish. Hopkins would run under the previous record as well, but the rising junior got the best of her at the line to take the title.
Spencer put up a dominant performance across every boys’ distance event, sweeping the 4x800-meter relay, the distance medley relay, and the 5,000-meter run for Herriman High School of Utah. His 5K was perhaps the most impressive performance of the meet, trouncing the field by nearly twenty seconds while lowering the meet record by thirteen seconds with a blazing 14:08.12 finish.
McCormick, Averi Lowen of Bowdon, Ga., and NC State commit Mallory Weller also showed out on the oval, resetting meet records across each of the girls’ distance events. McCormick shone in the 2-mile run, lowering Hanne Thomsen’s meet record set just one year earlier by five seconds, while Weller took the crown in the mile, resetting Paige Sheppard’s record by almost two seconds. Lowen displayed dominance in the 5,000-meter run, leading from the gun and never letting up en route to a 16:14.37 finish.
On the mound, Anthony Mason of Crofton High School shattered the meet record in the boys’ discus by over two meters despite fouling on four of his six attempts. Mason, the Maryland state record holder in the event, would have finished fourth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships with his 63.83-meter lob. UVA commit Eliana Schneider nailed every attempt on the hill, ultimately taking down the girls’ javelin meet record by nearly 2.25 meters on her third attempt with a 51.00-meter toss.
In the pit, South Carolina commit Brooklyn Lyttle stunned with a 6.48-meter long jump with a legal tailwind on her final attempt. She bettered the mark set by 2026 NCAA Champion Alyssa Jones by two centimeters while improving her personal best by over ten centimeters.
