One final tuneup left for Penn track and field

Penn track and field has a lot on its plate this time of year.

The prestigious Penn Relays are just a week away, and the Quakers have their hands full preparing to host and compete in one of the biggest track events on the East Coast.

Oh, and they have a meet this weekend.

The Red and Blue will travel to Princeton this weekend to compete in the Larry Ellis Invitational, their last competitive tune-up before the 120th  running of the Penn Relays.

With the impending presence of the Relays casting a shadow over the program, this weekend’s meet may seem like an afterthought. However, there are several reasons that it is important in its own right.

First of all, the Quakers want to continue riding their current trend of positive momentum into the postseason.

Last weekend’s George Mason Invitational provided the stage for possibly the strongest overall team performance from Penn all season, with stars like sophomores Thomas Awad and Kelsey Hay rewriting the school record books.

These individual performances have earned some of Penn’s top athletes places among the nation’s elite.

Meanwhile, the overall program is getting increased recognition, with both the men’s and women’s squads moving into the top 10 of the regional rankings for the first time all season.

However, men’s coach Robin Martin is not one to rest on his laurels.

“I think our best overall performance is yet to come,” he said. “[Last week] was just the beginning for us.”

The Larry Ellis Invitational will provide an opportunity for the Quakers to keep moving forward as they approach the end of the season.

This weekend’s meet will also be an important factor in deciding who will make up the relay team at next weekend’s Penn Relays.

Take the men’s middle-distance squads, for example. There are certainly some shoo-ins for both the men’s 4x800-meter and 4x400m teams, like juniors Mato Bekelja and Tom Timmins .

But there is also quite a bit of uncertainty for both coaches and athletes.

“I think half of the relays are determined ... but the rest is yet to be decided,” Martin said.

“[The lineups] are never set. It can always change week-to-week,” sophomore middle-distance runner Kirk Webb added.

The individual performances of the Red and Blue at Princeton will be the final measuring stick for the coaches to use in ultimately crafting their lineups for the Penn Relays.

And finally, the Larry Ellis Invitational will give the Quakers an opportunity to see what they can do at full strength.

As a result, many of the Quakers will enter the meet in their best condition all season and will accordingly look to put up strong performances.

“At this point in the season, the goal is always to run a season best,” Webb said.

“We’re getting ready to run fast and feel rested and well,” Martin added.

So even if the rest of the school looks ahead a week, Penn track and field knows that there is still one order of business left to be done.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.