The George Mason University track and field teams concluded the Penn Classic in Philadelphia with several top finishes and personal bests. Standout performances included Ella Semple's fourth-place mile and Mason Samuels' strong 200m showing. Coach Andrew Gerard highlighted the productive weekend as the team prepares for postseason competition.
In Philadelphia, the George Mason Patriots wrapped up the Penn Classic with notable achievements across multiple events, building on three wins from the first day. The indoor meet showcased the team's progress, with athletes setting personal records and climbing conference rankings.
Helena Santacana secured second place in the women's 400m open section, timing 57.59. Sarah Clark earned third in the women's mile open with an indoor personal best of 5:07.71. Ella Semple placed fourth in the women's mile invitational, clocking a personal record of 4:42.93, which ranks second on George Mason's indoor all-time list and second in the Atlantic 10 season standings.
On the men's side, Caleb Hymans finished third in the 800m open section at 1:52.79, positioning him fourth in the Atlantic 10. Mason Samuels took fifth in the 200m with an indoor best of 21.45, eighth on the program's indoor list and second in the conference. The men's 4x400m relay team—comprising Joziah Johnson, Lance Koontz, Aidan Walcott, and Jordan Tuck—placed fifth with a season-best 3:16.32, fourth in the Atlantic 10.
Freshmen contributed significantly, with Tarek Benlamkaddem and Hazel Wells improving in the 3000m open sections to 8:34.96 and 10:43.77, respectively. Lloyd Sheppard-Brown set a personal best of 8:16.24 in the men's 3000m invitational, seventh on the indoor all-time list. Other highlights included personal records from Lance Koontz (1:06.07 in 500m), Jordan Tuck (1:06.18 in 500m), Aiko Galvin (1:22.01 in women's 500m), and Miranda Pinon (3:14.71 in women's 1000m).
Head coach Andrew Gerard expressed satisfaction: "Very productive weekend. With the A-10s three weeks away, we continue to check the boxes and assemble the pieces. Yesterday and today, we got a number of major items ticked off our 'to-do' list. We still have some things to work on, but the staff and I were pleased with what got accomplished overall."
The Patriots next head to the Darius Dixon Memorial Invitational in Lynchburg, Virginia, on February 13-14, while Biruk Beardsley will run the 5000m at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational in Boston on February 13.
