Cold leads to sub-par meet for W. Track

In the attempt to recuperate from the past week's harsh weather which forced the women's track team to severely alter its normal training routine, the Quakers put forth an effort that won't exactly be raved about in future reunions and banquets. Due to the icy conditions Mother Nature dished out, Penn had to resort to unusual training methods. These included pool workouts and running in the parking garage of the Civic Center. The culmination of events prevented the Quakers from being adequately prepared for yesterday's Princeton Relays. Sunday's meet was supposed to be an opportunity for Penn to compare its skills to those of Princeton. This comparison was important because the teams will face each other in a dual meet February 5. Since this meet was going to be used to scout the Tigers, it was good that the Quakers did not have very high expectations. After coming off a highly successful performance at the Yale Invitational, Penn put on a lackluster display at Princeton. Only one first place performance was turned in. "The people really didn't show as well as we had hoped they would," assistant coach Tony Tenisci said. "I guess their legs just weren't underneath them." The sole top finisher for the Quakers was senior co-captain Karyn Smith. Smith turned in a first-place performance in the triple jump by leaping 39 feet, 11.5 inches. Smith actually bettered that mark twice in the meet, but both times she fouled. The two fouls actually helped her confidence though. "After jumping 41 feet last week, I was worried if it was a fluke," Smith said. "I don't like to go backwards, I like that natural progression ahead." Smith also came in third place in the long jump with a leap of 18-9. Smith was not the only Quaker to excel in this event as sophomore Monica McCullough also leapt 18-6.75, which was good enough for fourth. Junior Cheryl Edwards came in fifth place in the 20-pound throw. She threw a personal best of 44-11.5. "Cheryl just seems to get better and better," Tenisci said. "She's just inching her way ahead." Junior Nicole Maloy, competing in only her third meet of the season since returning from France, leapt 5-8 in the high jump. The 4x800-meter relay team, comprised of freshman Michelle Belsley, junior Jane Kim, sophomore Mary Conway and junior anchor Jenee Anzelone, turned in a sixth-place performance with a time of 9:31. Anzelone placed first in the 800 meters as well, but was later disqualified. The judges claimed she cut into the inside lane too soon. Tenisci raved about the shuttle-hurdle relay team. This all freshman team came in second, only behind Temple. Angie Jimenez, Chrisann Sevvian, Nuru Hunter and Tracy Chencharik finished a mere tenth of a second behind the Owls. This was impressive for two reasons. First, the Quakers were running without freshman standout Daria Smith. Smith was sidelined due to a bad case of the flu. Secondly, Penn kept pace with a Temple squad that just missed setting the meet record. Unfortunately for the Quakers, these exceptional performances were not the norm, and the meet as a whole was far from outstanding. "It seemed like they were running around with their heads cut off," Tenisci said. "They just couldn't perform at a high level." This lack of performance was attributed to the poor week. Tenisci said it was hard to compete with schools that have indoor facilities. Karyn Smith hoped that this was one of those meets that is regarded as a practice, and a chance to look at the competition. "They didn't look strong at all in my events," Smith said. "They had nothing. I think we are better than them, we have much better talent." Smith was worried Penn could suffer a let-down when it faces Princeton. "It is easy for a team with less talent to beat a team with more talent who just doesn't have that drive," she said. This week the Quakers prepare for Saturday's Boston University Terrier Classic and also the West Point Invitational. Tenisci said he just hopes the ice will finally be cleared off of the track. With highs forecasted in the 40-degree range this week, he may just get his wish.