PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – A group of athletes from the George Mason track & field teams competed at the prestigious Penn Relays from Thursday, April 23 through Saturday, April 25. The meet—held at Franklin Field on the campus of University of Pennsylvania—is the oldest and largest track and field competition in the United States, dating back to 1895 and entering its 130th edition this year.

The distance squad delivered a strong showing. Alex DeRoussel ran 8:58.05 in the men's 3000m steeplechase, finishing just a quarter of a second off his personal best that ranks second in the Atlantic 10 this season. In the men's 5000m, Lloyd Sheppard-Brown recorded a personal-best time of 14:05.34, moving up to fourth in the conference rankings and fifth on George Mason's outdoor all-time list. Biruk Beardsley posted an outdoor-best 14:21.38, good for 10th in the conference.

On the women's side, Ella Semple finished the 5000m in 15:59.32. The mark would rank first in the A-10 if not for her personal-best time of 15:58.44 set earlier this season. Her performance at Penn Relays marked her second career sub-16:00 finish in the event, the only two in school history.

Freshman Kellen La Roche recorded the highest finish for the Patriots, placing fourth in the men's high jump with a clearance of 2.06m. La Roche currently ranks third in the conference with a personal best of 2.11m. Jay Sims also competed in the event, clearing 1.91m. He currently ranks eighth in the A-10 with a season-best 1.96m.

In the throws, Cameron Portis recorded a mark of 48.22m in the men's discus. He currently leads the conference with a personal best of 51.63m. In the men's javelin, Morgan Batten threw 53.72m and ranks eighth in the conference with a personal best of 55.96m.

The meet marked the final regular-season outing for the Patriots as they prepare for the Atlantic 10 Outdoor Track & Field Championships, set to be hosted at George Mason Stadium from Saturday, May 2 through Sunday, May 3.