DCCC Debuts at Penn Relays, Clocks School Record Time

Philadelphia—The men's 4x100m relay team showed up and showed out at the 129th Penn Relays, making Phantoms history as the first male athletes to represent Delaware County Community College at the venerable track and field competition hosted by the University of Pennsylvania at Franklin Field and by running a school record time of 43.30 seconds.

 

The relay team, comprised of sophomores (Tre) Fred McCray and Aidan Heppard along with first-years Daniel McLaughlin and James Love, placed 17th overall among a large and deep field in the College Men's 4x100m Eastern heats, contested on Friday. Each of the members is an alum of a Delco high school: McCray is an Upper Darby graduate, McLaughlin hails from Strath Haven, and Heppard and Love are repping Ridley.

 

All were grateful for their selection and their experience. "Being able to compete in the largest track event in the world is a privilege and it's an even higher honor to be a part of the first DCCC relay to run in the event," said Heppard. "We've come a long way as a program and we're only just getting started."

 

"I'm happy to see that all the hard work that my teammates and I put in is not going unnoticed," added Love.

 

"Participating in the most prestigious track and field event of the year was amazing not only for our athletes, but the DCCC track and field program as a whole," said Head Coach Cara Fordenbacher. "Our athletes rose to the challenge, competing against the best global talent on one of the largest track stages in the world. They have added another milestone to their already-historic year and have cemented the Phantoms as a force to be reckoned with!"

 

The Phantoms compete in one more regular-season outdoor track and field meet at Elizabethtown College on Saturday before sending a squad to the NJCAA DIII National Championships in May.