Freshman Jessica Oji of the University of Pennsylvania shattered the Ivy League indoor shot put record four times during the Penn Elite meet on January 24, 2026, in Philadelphia. Her performance highlighted a day of standout achievements by Penn and Penn State athletes. Multiple personal bests and school records marked the competition.
The Penn Elite indoor track and field meet, held at the Palestra in Philadelphia, showcased exceptional performances from collegiate athletes on January 24, 2026. University of Pennsylvania freshman Jessica Oji dominated the women's shot put, throwing 18.45 meters (60 feet 6.5 inches) to win and rank second in the NCAA. This mark broke the all-time Ivy League record for the fourth time in a single meet for Oji, who had first set it at 17.72 meters during the Penn Opener on December 6.
Penn's men's 4x400-meter relay team, consisting of Nayyir Newash-Campbell, Ryan Matulonis, Tiago Socarras, and Ben Markham, set a school record with a time of 3:08.01, placing second in the Ivy League and 20th in the NCAA. In the women's 400 meters, newcomer Jailyn Milord clocked 54.43 seconds, the fastest in the Ivy League this season and fifth in Penn program history. Quin Stovall finished third in the women's 800 meters at 2:07.07, leading the Ivy League and ranking 22nd nationally.
Other Penn highlights included Mikaela Lyri's personal-best long jump of 5.90 meters for second place, tying her for seventh in program history; Adannia Agbo's second-place triple jump of 12.44 meters; Tiago Socarras's sixth-place mile of 4:01.50, seventh in program history; and Anna Weirich's personal-best 3000 meters of 9:27.39, fourth-fastest in the Ivy this season. Fore Abinusawa placed second in the women's 60-meter dash (7.36 seconds) and 200 meters (23.97 seconds, leading the Ivy). Matthew Kathiravelu's triple jump personal best of 15.18 meters ranked seventh in Penn history, while Vinay Raman's 800 meters season best of 1:51.44 led the Ivy League. Carson Edwards took third in the men's 200 meters at 21.51 seconds.
Penn State Nittany Lions also excelled. Ajani Dwyer won the men's 200 meters in 20.52 seconds, a personal best and the No. 2 time in program history, topping the NCAA rankings. Nick Sloff broke the school record in the elite men's 3000 meters with a winning 7:48.56. In field events, Collin Burkhart won the men's weight throw at 20.26 meters, with Sam Engebretson second at 19.32 meters. Maddie Pitts won the women's long jump with a 5.98-meter personal best. Logan Strawser led the men's 3000 meters with an 8:08.84 personal best. Other strong showings included Alex Pancoast and Gabby Cope's personal-best weight throws for second and third; Hannah Riolo's 1.76-meter high jump personal best for second; Joe White's 7.04-meter long jump season best for third; Lizzie Schreiber's meet-record 12.69-meter triple jump win; and personal bests in shot put by Skye Petrie-Cameron (15.58 meters, third) and Sasha Garnett (14.97 meters, fourth). Lucas Band placed seventh in the men's 60 meters final at 6.87 seconds, and Alexandria North finished fifth in the women's 400 meters at 54.92 seconds. Tristan McGarrah took second in pole vault at 5.04 meters (noted as nearing season best). Brady Mider's 16.78-meter shot put personal best earned second place.
The meet underscored the competitive depth in collegiate track and field, with both teams setting the stage for upcoming competitions.
