Checking in with track and field as Penn Relays fires away

From program records to breakout performers,

GARCIA, WALKER

Sports Editor, Deputy Sports Editor

Women's

The 2023 outdoor season has been nothing short of memorable for Penn women’s track and field, filled with more broken records, podium sweeps, and first-place finishes than one can count. The Quakers’ string of impressive outings proves that with every weekend, every competition, every meet, the team continues to raise the bar they set just days prior.

Quite literally raising the bar is sophomore Nataliia Ilieva. The pole vaulter set a program record with a 4.08-meter clearance at the Big 5 Invitational, just to clear 4.22m two weeks later at the Transatlantic Series. Ilieva had never broken the four-meter mark before this season. Now, she finds herself climbing her way to an Ivy League championship — where she set a personal best last year.

The infield has also seen consistent results from freshman discus thrower Angeludi Asaah, sophomore discus and hammer thrower Kira Lindner, and senior triple jumper Tamara Grahovac. Asaah’s recent 43.88m toss placed her at ninth on the all-time program leaderboard, while the 2023 season has also seen Lindner record personal bests in both discus and hammer. Grahovac has picked up three first-place finishes in the outdoor season already — with numbers trending upward — and looks to pick up a couple more at Penn Relays.

Sprinters and distance runners alike have also made history this season, propelling the Red and Blue to numerous first-place finishes. Junior distance runner Liv Morganti’s 10:09.13 steeplechase finish at the Larry Ellis Invitational shattered the previous program best time of 10:20.41 — achieving the goal she set out for herself last year.

After already etching her name in the record books for the 60m dash during the indoor season, Moforehan Abinusawa collected yet another program record at the Virginia Challenge over the weekend. The freshman clocked a 11.38 time in the 100m to secure her name atop Quaker history — thumping the previous record of 11.56, set in 2017.

With Penn Relays, a long-awaited tradition circled on everyone's calendar, looming right around the corner — and Ivy League Heptagonals just one week after — the Quakers will look to use momentum from an already historic campaign to potentially add Ivy Outdoor and NCAA Championships to the list.

Penn Relays kicks off April 27, with the 127-year-old carnival extending through April 29. It’s clear Penn women’s track and field has the talent needed to compete against the leading collegiate athletes in the nation. Now those talents will be put to the test in front of a rocking Franklin Field crowd: a sight one won’t want to miss.

Men's

There is no bigger event in Penn Athletics than Penn Relays, and as such, there is no greater opportunity for the members of the Quaker track and field team to show off their skills. It has been an electric season for Penn thus far, with jaw-dropping performances and record-breaking marks. Let’s check in with the men’s team as the Relays arrive.

Penn opened the outdoor season with a bang, securing four victories at the Penn Challenge in March. Those in Red and Blue owned the single-lap loop, with freshman Andrew O’Donnell winning the 400m dash with a time 48.94 seconds and junior Liam O’Hara winning the 400m hurdles at 53.55.

Since then, O’Hara has been one of Penn’s most consistent runners, with a fifth place finish at the Duke Invitational and second place at the Transatlantic Series at Cornell. O’Donnell has also been critical in buoying the Quakers’ elite relay teams, with sound contributions in both the 4x100m and 4x400m relays at the Transatlantic Series.

The distance runners for Penn have also enjoyed historic campaigns. At the Raleigh Relays, sophomore Dylan Throop set a new program mark in the 10,000m with a run of 28:48.59. Not to be outdone, a few weeks later, senior Michael Keehan broke the 3,000m steeplechase record in style, taking gold at the Larry Ellis Invitational with 8:36.79.

In the field, senior Olatide Abinusawa has led the way for Penn’s throwers, with five top-ten finishes, including landing as a runner-up three times. Sophomore pole vaulter James Rhoads and junior pole vaulter Scott Toney have also served as a one-two punch for the Quakers in that event with their consistently elite performances. At last weekend’s Virginia Challenge, Toney nabbed third and Rhoads took fourth, while the pair both tied the third-best mark in program history with jumps of 5.36m at the Transatlantic Series.

In total, Penn’s track and field team is slated to compete in 32 events at the Relays, just a small subset of the hundreds of athletes that will descend upon Franklin Field over the course of the three-day extravaganza. Among that group there will be competitors of all skill levels, from Olympians to high schoolers to 75-year-olds. But among that vast swathe of athletes, only one group will be able to claim home field advantage: the Quakers.