Story Links PHILADELPHIA – The men’s and women’s track & field squads at the University of Pennsylvania will kick off the 2024 – 25 indoor season on December 6 – 7, as they host the Penn Opener at the Ott Center. The first day of multi-events will commence at 4:00 p.m. on Friday with the women’s […]
PHILADELPHIA – The men’s and women’s track & field squads at the University of Pennsylvania will kick off the 2024 – 25 indoor season on December 6 – 7, as they host the Penn Opener at the Ott Center.
The first day of multi-events will commence at 4:00 p.m. on Friday with the women’s pentathlon, followed by the men’s heptathlon at 5:00 p.m. The second day of the men’s heptathlon will pick up at 2:15 p.m. on Saturday. Field events are set to begin at 11:30 a.m. with the women’s weight throw, high jump, long jump, and men’s high jump on Saturday. Track events are scheduled to kick off at 1:30 p.m.
PENN OPENER
Friday – Saturday, December 6 – 7
Jane and David Ott Center for Track and Field | Philadelphia, Pa.
Live Results, Schedule of Events, Watch Live – Saturday (ESPN+)
Tickets – $5 Youth (2-12), $10 Adult
Teams Participating
Delaware, Georgetown, Hampton, Monmouth, Rider, St. Joseph’s, Temple, Penn, Princeton, and Atlanta TC.
2024 – 25 Season Outlook
Penn’s women’s track and field squad enters the 2024-25 indoor season as the reigning Ivy League champions after securing their seventh team title in the program’s history. The men’s team achieved a third-place finish, boasting five individual champions, marking the highest count of individual champions for Penn since 1998.
The Quakers are set to welcome back six indoor conference champions from 2024 to their roster this season. The women’s team will be spearheaded by eight-time Ivy indoor champion Moforehan Abinusawa.
In 2024, Abinusawa shattered the Ivy record in the 60m at the Heptagonal Championships with a time of 7.25. She also took home gold in the 200m with a program record time of 23.52 and was part of the women’s 4x440y relay squad that set a new meet record (3:35.73) in Cambridge, Mass. last year.
Relay partners Christiana Nwachuku and Jocelyn Niemiec will return to the track this season. Nwachuku reached the podium three times during the indoor season, securing gold in the 4x440y, silver in the 60m (7.42), and bronze in the 200m (23.97). Niemiec finished second in the 500m (1:12.46). The women’s 4x400m relay team earned ninth place at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
For the men’s team, indoor league champions Ryan Matulonis, Shane Gardner, and Kampton Kam will be gearing up for the upcoming season indoors.
Matulonis, in his debut season, set an Ivy record with a first-place finish and a time of 1:01.22 in the 500m at the Ivy Heptagonal Indoor Championships. He recently secured 20th place in the 400m hurdles at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials.
Gardner established a new program record in the 60m hurdles, finishing first at the Ivy Heptagonal Championships with a time of 7.83.
High jumper Kampton Kam achieved a height of 2.18m (7′ 1.75″) at the league championships, earning his first gold medal as a Quaker. Kam was the sole athlete to clear 2.15m (7′ 0.5″).
Upcoming Competitions
Jan. 11, 2025 – Penn Select (Ott Center)
Jan. 17 – 18 – Quaker Invitational (Ott Center)
Jan. 25 – Penn 10 Elite (Ott Center)
Jan. 31 – Feb. 1 – Penn State National (State College, Pa.)
About the Ott Center
The 73,000-square foot facility located on River Fields Drive is linked to the Hollenback Center, positioned near the Schuylkill River and south of Penn Park. Designed to maximize natural light, the new structure features vast clear story windows facing the Schuylkill River and aligned with the multi-story windows on either side of Hollenback, the original campus powerplant.
The facility is intended to celebrate Penn’s longstanding tradition of excellence in track and field and will strengthen and support the Penn Relays – the oldest and most extensive track and field event in the nation.
This facility houses a banked 200 meter running track crafted around specific geometric relationships between the straight and curved sections to create ideal conditions for running events, alongside two long jump/triple jump runways, two pole vault runways, an eight-lane infield for sprints, hurdles, and high jump, as well as a designated area for shot put and weight throw. With spectator seating surpassing 1,000, the Ott Center is set to host a variety of exciting youth, high school, and college events for many years ahead.
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