Penn track navigates highs and lows post-Relays

Gearing up for this weekend’s Princeton Invitational, the athletes of Penn track and field will find themselves battling the ups and downs of a “runner’s high.”

Any runner — from a weekend warrior to an Olympic track star — knows the feeling of a runner’s high, that sensation of euphoria experienced after a run, especially a big race. And there aren’t any bigger races than the Penn Relays.

So it’s probably fair to say — given their strong performance this past weekend at the world’s largest annual track meet — that the Quakers are feeling pretty good about themselves right now.

“Last year’s success was three wins ... which was incredible,” said coach Steve Dolan. “But actually I think that if you look at the global success, we were better this year.”

As any runner also knows, a runner’s high can often be accompanied by a crash, that feeling of pure exhaustion that finally hits two days after the race. If Penn track is going to experience a crash this season, this weekend — just one before from the Ivy championships — could be as likely a time as any for it.

However, Dolan has always preached the importance of staying even-keeled throughout the season, and he expects his squad to show up for competition once again this week, despite the lower-stakes atmosphere offered by Princeton.

“Sometimes competing is the best thing as you’re preparing for championships,” he said. “I think we’ll see a number of nice performances as we set ourselves up for Heps.”

Adding to the challenge of following up Penn Relays, Penn’s athletes will need to contend with preparing for finals. According to Dolan, balance is especially important this time of year.

“I think our staff and our athletes are doing a good job of juggling our training, our competition and our academic work,” he said. “We’re really balancing all of those things right now.”

The Quakers’ coaching staff will give a select few of their athletes the weekend off, but the majority will make the trek out to New Jersey.

However, if Penn does ultimately crash and have an off weekend of competition, it is by no means the end of the world. The real test will come the following weekend in the form of outdoor Heptagonals — the Ivy championship.

And there’s plenty of intrigue surrounding the Quakers at Heps, particularly for the men’s team. Led by a pair of top national contenders — juniors Thomas Awad and Sam Mattis — the men will look to jump into the upper regions of the Ivies after a fourth-place finish last spring.

“From a team scoring standpoint, the men are probably in a stronger position [than the women are] heading into Heps,” Dolan said.

The women’s team may not feature the top contenders that their male counterparts do. However, with stud underclassmen like Candace Taylor and Noel Jancewicz, the squad could still make some noise, especially in middle-distance events.

Adding even further to the intrigue of this year’s Heps is the location: historic Franklin Field, the same track on which the Quakers found so much success just this past weekend.

“It’s definitely a confidence boost for all of the athletes,” Dolan said. “Having competed well, and having competed well at home.”

So come two weeks from now — whether Penn maintains its high, crashes or finds some sort of middle ground — at least it will do so on its own turf.

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