SEASON PREVIEW: M. Track features deep squad

Talent abounds for the 1993-94 Penn men's indoor track team. Coach Charlie Powell's squad is loaded with returning Heptagonal champions and IC4A qualifiers, and a group of promising freshmen looks to strengthen the team even more. Leading the way for the Quakers – who open the season today at the Navy Invitational – will be the four captains. Senior Mamadou Johnson is currently ranked among the top 50 pole vaulters in the world and is the "best American ever from the East," according to assistant coach Nathan Taylor. Last year Johnson set new records while winning both the indoor and outdoor Heps. Junior Kelsey Armstrong was last year's Ivy champion in the outdoor 400 meters. Juniors Joe Hall and Terry McLean both had excellent seasons last year as distance runners, with McLean placing second at the Heps in the 10,000 meters. The captains are "four guys who have proven to be leaders, in all senses of the word, and excellent point producers at big meets," Taylor said. Other standouts also return for the Quakers. Senior multi-event specialist Henry Hipps is a two-time Heps champion in the pentathlon, a Heps placer in the high jump, and a three-time all-East performer. Hipps is also a threat to score in the long jump and triple jump. Sophomore Chris Harper, last year's Outstanding Freshman, won the Heps 200-meter dash and earned all-East honors last year in indoor and outdoor sprints. Another sophomore sprinter is Clive Brown, who scored last season in both the 200 and 400 meters at the Heptagonals. And junior Mark Pan earned a third-place finish in the 55-meter hurdles at the Heps. Of all of the above athletes, "Everyone has a legitimate chance to set a school record and win the Heps in his event," Taylor said. The Quakers won the Ivy title at last year's Heps and finished second overall to Navy. Five of Penn's individual champions at the event have been lost to graduation – a significant loss for the team. "It's just like the football team losing five first-string all-East performers," Taylor said. But this year's group of newcomers to the squad may eventually prove to be as formidable, if not more so. "We honestly have five or six freshmen who can score at the Heps in their first year," Taylor said. The thought of that is even more impressive when one considers that the most freshmen Penn has ever had score at the Heps is three, when Johnson, Hipps and senior John Ramos did it three years ago. "Watch out for [the freshmen] in a couple of years," Taylor said. One of those freshman to watch is John Yu, who finished second at the National High School Championships in the intermediate hurdles. Another freshman mentioned by Taylor is Greg Davis, a New York state champion in the sprint events. The performance of young freshmen is always difficult to predict, but this group appears to be doing well. "For a coach, [having many freshmen] creates a little anxiety. We've never seen how they compete. But so far in training, things have gone very well," Taylor said. With a pack of talented freshmen and a slew of outstanding upperclassmen, the Quakers appear to have a good shot at winning the indoor Heps for the first time since 1984. The one area in which the Quakers may be suspect is middle-distance racing, where the runners are inexperienced. "We've got a group of guys we think are going to be good, but they haven't proven themselves yet," Taylor said. Unfortunately for Penn, the middle distances play a disproportionately large part in the indoor Heps, which feature seven middle-distance races. And as luck would have it, two of the Quakers' rivals for the Heps crown, Princeton and Brown, are stronger in the middle distance events. And there is perennial contender Navy, winner of the last three indoor Heps. "[Navy is] a major obstacle. They've got a terrific track program all-around," Taylor said. But Taylor is still confident of the teams chances at the Heps and for the season in general. "Barring the unforeseen, and following a natural improvement, we've got a great shot at it. Our goals are for each individual to develop to his fullest potential – from that, championships are derived."