Top 10 Phantoms at Millersville Invitational
Millersville, PA—Delaware County Community College track and field recorded four new personal bests, two school records, and one national qualifying performance at the Millersville Invitational at Millersville University on Saturday. The men's team finished tied for ninth place overall with 10 points and the women's team placed 10th overall with 10.5 points. Fatumata Kaba won the women's triple jump while Daniel McLaughlin took second place in the men's 400m intermediate hurdles.
First-year throwers Mason Falk and Nathan Jeffers both represented DCCC in the discus throw and shot put. Falk set a personal and school record in the shot put, hurling 11.60m for 15th place. A two-event top 20 finisher, he placed 14th in the discus throw with a mark of 34.78m. Jeffers placed 42nd in shot put (6.54m) and 40th in discus (12.69m).
James Love did a field-track double, starting his day with a top performance in the long jump with a mark of 5.76m to place fifth in a deep field. The sophomore Phantom then hit the track, running the 200m. His time of 22.46 seconds placed him seventh overall and secured his second national qualification this season. Love is now set to compete in both the 100m and 200m at the national stage for the second consecutive year. "I'm happy I was able to hit the mark and start preparing for Nationals," he said.
"I am thrilled for Jimmy! He has set his bar high this season and continues to hit that bar," said Head Coach Cara Fordenbacher. "I cannot wait to see him compete at the highest stage in his running events."
Rounding out the men's performances was sophomore McLaughlin who competed in the hurdling double: the 110m high hurdles and the 400m intermediate hurdles. In the 110m HH finals, McLaughlin ran to a personal best time of 17.22 seconds and placed sixth overall. Later in the day, he raced to a second-place finish in the 400m IH with a time of 58.25 seconds.
"I was happy to see Daniel have such a solid day," Fordenbacher said. "He has made his mark on DCCC hurdling and his performance today is a testament to his hard work and dedication to his craft."
On the women's side, Kaba shone. The sophomore began her day with a blazing PR in the 100m dash. Her time of 13.14 seconds placed her 13th overall. In triple jump competition, Kaba soared over the field to win the event. Her jump of 10.98m is a season best. She also placed first last year at this same meet, jumping 11.05m.
"Fatu had a stellar day," said Fordenbacher. "She has been working hard on building her speed and inching towards breaking the 11 meter barrier in the triple jump. She went out and proved she can!"
"I'm glad I was able to have a positive performance in both my events in preparation for Nationals," Kaba said.
Cheyenne McCarthy tested the field in the middle-distance events, snagging a personal record in the 1500m, placing 14th overall with a time of 5:32.14 seconds. This time boosts her previous DCCC record mark in the event set earlier in the season. She also competed in the 800m, placing 27th overall.
DCCC student-athletes came with an attitude of perfection this weekend, working to get late season qualifications and personal records, according to Fordenbacher. "This is the time to start hitting those personal best marks and I am thrilled we had so many this weekend," she said. "We have two meets left before Nationals and I cannot wait to see how the Phantoms finish their season!
In a quick turnaround, the Phantoms head to the Haverford Mid-Week Meet at Haverford College on Tuesday. Events begin at 3:30pm.