Call it Icahn Stadium magic.
2020 Nursing graduate Nia Akins eclipsed the field to claim her third outdoor national title in the 800-meter run. Akins ultimately stopped the clock in an impressive 1:59.25, going under two minutes for the first time this season.
It was a tactical race from the gun as the pack stuck close together through the first lap. Less than a second separated leader Roisin Willis from high school standout Paige Sheppard as the bell lap commenced.
Akins entered the final lap at the bottom of the field, only a tenth of a second ahead of Sheppard. The pack stayed together until the final 200 meters, when Addy Wiley and Meghan Hunter picked up the pace and surged to the front. Up until this final half lap, Akins remained in eighth place in a nine-competitor field.
It seemed like Wiley’s title to win as she settled into cruise control on the final straightaway, but a surprise attack from Akins on the outside left her scrambling. Akins closed the final stretch in 14.06 seconds — over half a second faster than the rest of the field — to secure her fifth career national title and first since the 2025 indoor season.
“I was just trying to be patient, as patient as I could and just hope, trust, and pray that a door would open up,” Akins said in a post-race interview with NBC Sports. “I’m very blessed to have that happen.”
Akins wasn’t the only former Quaker to impress on the national stage. 2022 Wharton graduate and two-time NCAA champion Marc Minichello earned his flowers with a bronze medal finish in the javelin throw. Minichello displayed remarkable consistency, never straying below 70 meters while only fouling once.
2016 Wharton graduate and American discus record holder Sam Mattis was the heavy favorite entering the penultimate day of competition in the throwing circle. The oldest in the field, Mattis is ranked eleventh globally in the event after resetting the American record earlier this season at the Oklahoma Throws Series.
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Mattis started off strong, tossing the disc into an early lead off a 62.29-meter attempt. He would solidify that lead going into the finals with a strong 63.83-meter throw on his second attempt.
Unfortunately for Mattis, his competitors got the upper hand on their final attempts. A surprise 63.84-meter effort from Mitchell Weber on his last throw knocked Mattis off the podium by one centimeter, handing the heavy favorite a fourth-place finish.
Even though Mattis didn’t walk away with a title, his consistency deserves praise. Mattis was the only competitor in the field to not foul on a single attempt — a valuable asset that should serve him well going into the Wanda Diamond League finals in September.
After exhausting her collegiate eligibility at Duke last spring, 2024 College graduate Aliya Garozzo has transitioned into an impressive rookie professional season, culminating in her first USATF finals appearance in the 400-meter hurdles.
Coming off strong performances abroad in early July, Garozzo made it through the qualifying heats with ease, finishing in 55.47 seconds.
In the finals, she started strong, going toe to toe with Olympic silver medalist Anna Cockrell through the first hurdles. As the pack thinned out, Garozzo stayed in contention, overtaking 2016 Olympic gold medalist Dalilah Muhammad on the penultimate hurdle. Garozzo also passed former Ivy League rival Chloe Fair over the final barrier, ultimately finishing sixth in the nation in 56.11 seconds.
Although the professional season is pretty much over, there are still Penn track and field standouts to watch out for. Rising sophomores Sofia Swindell, Adèle Martin, and Jessica Oji, as well as incoming freshman Jordynn Scott, will toe the line at the World U20 Championships in Eugene, Ore. later this week.
