Phantoms Deliver Over Two Days at Widener’s Danny Curran Invite
Chester, PA—Delaware County Community College track and field competed in the 2026 Danny Curran Invitational this weekend at Widener University among a large field of NCAA and NJCAA teams at all levels along with individual participants over the two-day annual event.
DCCC sophomores Fatumata Kaba and Cheyenne McCarthy were in action on Friday. Kaba placed third overall in the women's triple jump (10.70m) in a strong outing, the highest placement for the Phantoms for the weekend and up a spot from her fourth-place performance in this meet last year.
McCarthy capped off the first day as the first Phantom ever to compete in the 10,000m run, the longest distance on the track in official collegiate competition. Cheyenne ran to a time of 48:38.34, placing her 36th overall, qualifying her for Nationals and ranking her second in the nation among NJCAA DIII performers.
"I was thrilled for Cheyenne's performance in the 10,000m," said Head Coach Cara Fordenbacher. "I had no expectations for her—I just wanted her to go out and complete the race—and she exceeded all expectations to finish the most grueling race on the track and secure a National qualifying time."
A chilly Saturday morning then set the stage for a full day of track action for the Phantoms. First-year Kheimon Speach Jr. ran to a new personal best time in the men's 1500m. His finish of 101st and time of 4:38.70 also set a new school record in the event, besting the 4:38.97 mark set by Carlos Rodriguez in 2023. Kheimon also ran the 800m later in the day, placing 122nd with a time of 2:11.83.
Fordenbacher lauded DCCC's distance squad, led by Volunteer Assistant Coach Chris Coates. "Cheyenne and Kheimon have been smashing records and putting up competitive marks as we have started our season," she said. "I am so proud of their hard work and cannot wait to continue to see what they will do as the season progresses."
On the men's side, another top performance came in the 100m dash. Sophomore James Love ran to a new personal best time of 11.35 seconds, winning his heat in what Fordenbacher described as a blazing victory. "This performance has been a year in the making," she said. "Jimmy has been working hard, and I was thrilled to see his hard work pay off!"
"I'm extremely happy with how I was able to overcome the cold weather and win my heat," Love said.
Freshman Noah Gallagher set a new personal best in the 200m, placing 167th with a time of 27.36. Other Phantom performances on the day were: Kaba in the 100m (14.71, 78th); Natalie Torres in the 100m (15.99, 89th); and Daniel McLaughlin in the 400m IH (59.21, 21st) and in the 200m (24.31, 120th).
"This week we saw significant performances on the track, with three new personal bests, two new school records, and one more national qualifying performance," Fordenbacher said. "This meet was huge, and it was great to see our athletes getting in the mix and competing against athletes at the NCAA DI, DII, and DIII levels. Our athletes were up to the challenge and performed #PhantomProud."
The Phantoms are back in action on Saturday, April 4, at the Ursinus Track and Field Festival with track and field events both beginning at 10am.