Penn indoor track and field takes on Ancient Eight Rrivals at Heps

Come Friday morning, a bus full of track stars will roll out of Philadelphia and eventually arrive in Ithaca. With it: a season‘s worth of work, dreams and authentic promise. This record-breaking team is ready to challenge their Ivy League competitors at the 2016 Heps Indoor Track & Field Championships.

At last year’s championships, the men finished fourth in the league, just behind Brown.

“There’s the big names, Cornell and Princeton,” junior Chris Hatler said.

“We’re more of an outdoor team so we’re just trying to compete, see how we can do and steal points.”

The women finished seventh in 2015 but have high hopes for this year.

“Top three in the league is a great goal. It’s a step forward on women’s and a great meet for men’s,” coach Steve Dolan said.

With the addition and return of some great talents, the Red and Blue are right to dream big heading into the end of their indoor season.

Dolan commented on the positive atmosphere bouncing around his team as championships approach.

“I can noticeably see the difference in the way people are at practice. A little more excitement. Little more focus. Little more determination because they know the big one is coming. ... There’s an extra energy level that you feel in Heps week.”

This season the team is gifted with an even mix of both seasoned veterans and charged, wide-eyed freshman. Heps will give these young athletes a chance to experience the true team unity and excitement that accompanies a championship meet.

“As a freshman you get in there and it gives you a lot of energy, but if no one warns you of it, you’re like, ‘Oh wow this is the first time I’ve felt like this,’” junior Ashley Montgomery described.

With experience comes confidence, as the upperclassmen now thrive under this same electric environment that was once overwhelming.

“I feel more confident and familiar with the space. Excitement doesn’t make me nervous, it makes me more excited,” Montgomery said.

Yet despite being new to the scene, the team’s freshmen are in no way taking a back seat. On the women’s side, three records have already fallen at the hands of freshmen, all eager to improve their own newly-set standards at their first Heps. Freshman Imani Solan is looking to make a big impact this weekend, having already broken Penn’s 200-meter dash record with a time of 24.08 and placing third on the 60m all time board. Rachel Wilson, a thrower, raised Penn’s record to an incredible 17.25 meters. Completing the talented trifecta is Nicole Macco, edging out the 11-year-old pole vault record with a new bar of 3.86 meters.

The freshman men are not to be ignored either. Calvary Rogers became third all-time in the 200m dash with his time of 21.74. Elias Gracias found his name in lights as part of the record-breaking distance medley relay team two weeks ago — at the Fastrack National Invite on Staten Island, Gracias, along with Thomas Awad, Jeff Wiseman and Chris Hatler, lowered the 2005 record to 9:38.81.

“Certainly in the last few years, this is the strongest we’ve gone in where, in all different event groups, there’s something to be excited about,” Dolan said.

The magic of Heps stems from the togetherness, the bonding across a team as they collectively strive for greatness.

“We all get together, talk about what we want to accomplish,” Hatler added, “but at this point everyone knows what they have to do really so there’s not much else you can say, just do what you’ve been training to.”

With nerves and excitements running at parallel highs, Penn can expect unprecedented performances and the echoing cries of, “UPENN UKNOW,” to follow its track team on to their final leg of the indoor season.

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