They don’t even have a track of their own, but that hasn’t stopped the Delaware County Community College Phantoms Men’s and Women’s Track and Field team from tearing it up this spring.
Six DCCC student-athletes have qualified for the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division III Outdoor Track and Field National Meet, to be held May 7-9, 2026, in Utica, N.Y.
Throughout the late winter and spring, the athletes have been working out twice a week at 6:30 AM at both the Interboro High School track in Prospect Park and in the parking lot at DCCC’s Marple Campus. And each weekend, they have run faster and jumped farther, setting school and personal records in the process of qualifying for Nationals.
“Being a part of a Varsity Athletics program at a community college affords students a robust collegiate experience. Athletes can take college classes at an affordable price, while also representing their school as an athlete,” Phantoms Head Coach Cara Fordenbacher said.
DCCC’s Nationals qualifiers, with their events and high school/hometowns, are:
- Fatumata Kaba (Academy Park High School/Sharon Hill):100-meter dash, long jump, and triple jump.
- Daniel McLaughlin (Strath Haven High School/Rutledge): 110-meter high hurdles and 400-meter intermediate hurdles.
- Jimmy Love (Ridley High School/Upper Darby): 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, and long jump.
- Cheyenne McCarthy (Marple Newtown High School/Broomall): 800-meter run, 1,500-meter run, and 10,000-meter run.
- Mason Falk (Springfield High School/Springfield): shot put and discus throw.
- Noah Gallagher (Sun Valley High School/Aston): javelin throw.
“This provides a great opportunity for DCCC Phantoms athletics, and the College as a whole,” added DCCC Athletics Director Dwayne Saunders.
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