Abigail Ramsey
The week of commencement for most seniors is a race to the finish line. For Chapman track and field athletes Mason Fara ’26, Andrew Martorano ’26, and Drew Floyd ’26, it was a race — times two.
The three seniors traveled to the NCAA Division III Outdoor Championships, held May 21-23 in La Crosse, Wisconsin, knowing they’d miss Chapman’s main commencement ceremony on May 22. Fara ran the men’s 4×400-meter relay and 400-meter dash; Martorano served as an alternate; and Floyd documented it all with an official press badge and camera.
But traveling to nationals didn’t mean missing commencement altogether. Chapman has a long tradition of ensuring that spring-sport athletes competing in postseason championships can still take part in a commencement celebration. This year, staff in Athletics and Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences carried that forward, preparing all the logistics so the athletes and their families could focus on celebrating.
“When we got there, they already knew who we were,” Floyd said. “They had our packets with our names, pronunciations, and degree information. We didn’t have to worry about any of the logistics — we could just enjoy and celebrate with our families.”
This marked the first time in program history that Chapman’s 4×400 relay team had ever qualified for nationals. In the preliminaries, Fara and his teammates — freshman Charley McCarthy, junior Wyn Smoole, and sophomore Alex Vasquez — finished in 3 minutes 12.13 seconds. For its efforts, Chapman’s team earned second-team All-American honors.
Head coach Tony Veney said of his seniors: “Their dedication to the program and the time that they put in to not only be exceptional athletes, but exceptional student-athletes really is outstanding.”
When the three returned from Wisconsin, the main commencement ceremony was long over. But Chapman made sure there was room for them on one more stage: They walked for the Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences commencement ceremony on May 24, allowing them to still celebrate their milestone with friends and family.
Training Skills, Training Drills
When he isn’t competing, Floyd loves taking photos of his teammates. As an athlete himself, he had a keen eye for the sport. Floyd pursued Chapman’s work-study opportunities, which connected him with resources to further develop his photography and editing skills and build his own freelance portfolio.
“Photography has always been so special because I believe in the athletes I’m shooting,” Floyd said. “So, to go with them to the championships as a photographer, it felt like the culmination of years of me photographing them. It was awesome to see them go out there and run their best.”
On the track, Fara spent four years building a legacy of excellence at Chapman. This year wasn’t his first All-American honor. In 2024 and 2025, Fara earned Second-Team All-American honors in the 400. He was also named SCIAC’s 2025 Athlete of the Year, along with multiple SCIAC conference championships.
“Mason Fara is one of the most driven athletes I’ve ever coached,” Veney said. “It’s hard to find anybody who could leave as indelible a mark on their track and field program as he has.”
As an alternate, Martorano’s contribution to this year’s relay came behind the scenes. But his preparation was no different than the rest of the team. It was his participation in the Panthers’ relay in the Redlands Final Qualifier on May 13 that secured their place at nationals. At every step, Veney described Martorano as someone whose team spirit makes a relay program succeed.
The Final Leg
After the conclusion of the championships in La Crosse, Fara, Martorano, and Floyd boarded a 3 a.m. flight back to Orange County and prepared to cross the finish line of their undergraduate career.
It was a whirlwind of traveling, packing up dorms and donning regalia. For Floyd, that meant adding his nationals press badge to his cords and medallion, symbolizing an unforgettable career achievement as a sports photographer and the start of many more opportunities post-graduation.
“As parents, we were really looking forward to celebrating the culmination of four years of effort,” Floyd’s mother Kimberly Floyd said. “Chapman making arrangements so he and his teammates could realize both goals was just so special. It really turned out better than we could have imagined.”
