Men’s and Women’s Track and Field competed at the Penn Classic in Philadelphia, Pa., over the weekend, picking up 25 top-ten finishes and one school record.
On Friday, the throws led the way for the Bison. Wade Shomper ’26 broke his own school record in the shot put by almost a foot, tossing a mark of 58-7.25 feet. His record-breaking throw earned him second place on the day and put him atop the Patriot League in the event, as well as sixth in the Mid-Atlantic region and 61st in all of Division 1.
In the weight throw, Aiden Tacker ’26 continued the Orange and Blue’s success in the field, placing third in the weight throw, with a mark of 59-04.00 feet. Jeffrey Cianfrocca ’26 claimed the silver in the high jump, leaping over 6-06.75 on his first attempt.
Michael Chernova ’27 found another podium finish for the jumps, clearing 15-09.00 for third place in pole vault, behind two Quakers. CJ Simbiri ’28 jumped 48-00.75 feet in the triple jump for fifth overall, just behind a trio of jumpers who all went past the previous meet record.
Maddie Fowler ’28 continued her standout season as well in the weight throw, heaving the implement 59-05.50 feet, a mark that earned her third place and surpassed the previous meet record held by former Bison Christine Ajao ’25. Fowler would also place sixth in the shot put, with a 43-09.25-foot toss.
On Saturday, the Orange and Blue were led on the track by Alex Lea ’28, who placed fourth in the 400 meters invite. Her mark surpassed her previous indoor best of 54.91 and slotted her in at second-best in the Patriot League and tenth-best in the Mid-Atlantic region for the event.
The Bison also showed their strength in the long-distance events, finding multiple top-five and top-ten finishes, headlined by Shaelan McNally’s ’28 seventh-place finish in the 1 Mile invite. McNally ran 4:49.32, the second-fastest mark in school history. All four Bison in the race ran under 5 minutes. Carter Paul ’27 earned a podium finish in the 1 Mile, running 4:11.00 for third place.
Grant Kern ’26 found a third-place finish of his own in the 3000-meters, running 8:27.70. The trio of Kailey Granger ’27, Kerry O’Day ’28, and Caryn Rippey ’26 all earned top-ten finishes in the 3000-meters invite, running 9:48.38, 9:52.06, and 9:59.23 for fifth, seventh and eighth place, respectively.
Men’s and Women’s Track and Field continue their season at home on Feb. 20 at the Bison Tuneup.
