Wade Shomper Sets School Record in Shot Put on First Day of the Penn Classic

Friday, February 6

Philadelphia, Pa.

11 a.m.

Bucknell University

Penn Classic

Photo by: Steven Schoenfelder

Wade Shomper Sets School Record in Shot Put on First Day of the Penn Classic

2/6/2026 7:47:00 PM | Men's Track and Field

PHILADELPHIA, Pa.- Wade Shomper set the school record in the shot put to headline Bucknell's efforts on the first day of the Penn Classic. The Bison thrower reset his school record again, as part of his second place finish in the event. Bucknell also added another new top ten mark in the pole vault.

Results

Donner's Debriefing

"Day one at Penn went well. The competition was perfect for us with teams from the Big East, Ivy League, and MEAC. We had numerous top six finishers in most of the field events. It is great for the team being on the road in unfamiliar territory. It was also great seeing Shomper smash our school record in the men's shot put."

Shomper delivered a historic effort against a deep field of shot put throwers. His school record mark of 58-7.25 arrived during his second attempt and broke his previous standard of 57-8.25. All four of his countable marks cleared 53 feet and three of them were higher than 56. His new distance ranks first in the Patriot League, sixth in the Mid-Atlantic region, and 61st nationally.

"It was great to see Wade on his A game today," said throws coach Ryan Protzman. "He woke up before 6 a.m. and didn't throw until nearly 6 p.m. He's been dialed in with his training, and is consistently the hardest worker in the room. He is excited to build for something special at the end of February."

"Just focusing on putting the pieces together to finish my indoor career the best way I possibly can," said Shomper. "Today was a nice step forward."

The throws group supplied another high finish with Aiden Tacker placing third in the weight throw. The Bison thrower tossed the instrument 59-4 in his fourth attempt.

Jeffrey Cianfrocca slotted second in the high jump, clearing 6-6.75.

Michael Chernova finished third in the pole vault, clearing 15-9. He moved into a seven-way tie for eighth place in Bucknell history.

CJ Simbiri earned fifth in the triple jump, leaping 48-0.75. He displayed zero rust after not competing in the event since Jan. 17.

Jason Lessieu placed sixth in the long jump, equaling his personal best mark of 22-9.75.

Ethan Knight finished tenth in the 60-meter hurdles, logging 8.49.

Garrett Backus notched 11th in the 60-meter dash, running 6.99.

Day two of the Penn Classic continues tomorrow and can be watched on ESPN+.