PHILADELPHIA–Graduate student Derek Holmes (Marshfield, Mass.) of the UMass Lowell men's track & field program traveled to the Keystone State on Thursday, April 28, for the 2022 Penn Relays presented by Toyota.
 
The sole UMass Lowell competitor, Holmes represented the distance crew in the Collegiate Men's 5,000m Championship.

"Derek ran a solid race to earn a good personal best. The pace was pretty conservative early, so there is definitely more room to run even faster," said Head Coach Gary Gardner. "He did well running the race that was given to him."
 
Seeded in the first of two flights, Holmes settled in the front half of the pack going into the first straightaway of the race. He stayed close to the inside through the first half of the race as he steadily inched his way into the top 10.
 
As the pressure mounted heading into the final stretch, Holmes made well-timed moves to the front of the group to find a spot in the top eight. Battling through an intense foot race to the finish, Holmes used his late run to cross seventh overall with a final time of 13:55.31
 
Holmes' time set a 13-second career-best in the event as well as a school outdoor record.
 
The rest of the River Hawks crew continues the action on Saturday, April 30, with a trip to Amherst, Mass. for one last tune-up at the Massachusetts Pre-Conference Invite.