M. Track is set for Tigers

The Penn-Princeton sports rivalry brings to mind legendary battles in football and basketball. Last-second victories and Ivy championships. Images of falling goal posts and crowds storming the court. But this year's Tigers teams have proven to be merely average, no match for the dominating Quakers teams. This year's most competitive matchup involves the Penn and Princeton's men's track teams. Over the past few years, these two teams have consistently been at the top of the Heptagonal Conference. In the past eight years, Penn has lost to Princeton in an outdoor dual meet only once, but the Quakers have beaten the Tigers indoors only once over that same time span. Last year, Princeton ended Penn's two-year run as outdoor Heptagonal champion, 124-121. "People tend to think that we are the antithesis of each other," Penn assistant coach Nathan Taylor said. "There is no love lost between us." Taylor's quote applies to the make-up of the Penn and Princeton teams. Penn's strength is a group of sprinters that can match up with any team in the Heps. The Tigers counter with a middle-distance team that ranks among the finest in the country and boasts two former high-school all-Americans. Princeton's superiority in the distance events makes the Tigers extremely difficult to beat during the indoor season. Princeton's strength becomes an even larger advantage because of the emphasis on distance events indoors. While there are more sprint events than distance ones during the outdoor season, the distance events outnumber sprints 6-3 indoors. The key to the meet will be Penn's ability to keep pace in the distance events. Princeton has a further advantage because of its depth and ability to run any different number of combinations in each event. Penn sophomore Neil Riordan, an IC4A qualifier in the 1,000 meters, will be called upon in the 800 against Princeton. "We have to go out and perform our best to pull out good races," Riordan said. "We have to keep the meet close." Penn will not find it any easier in the other event areas. NCAA provisional qualifier Clarence Hinton will square off against Princeton's Vitec Grizmula-Busse in the 35-pound weight throw. Grizmula-Busse is considered to be one of the top throwers in the country. In the sprints and jumps Princeton is represented by Ugana Ikpeoiwo, who ranks among the top jumpers in east. The Quakers will need strong performances by all of their jumpers, including sophomores Jon Yu and Okinyi Ayungo and freshman Dave Davenport. "We could have three jumpers set personal records and still finish no higher than second in the long jump," Taylor said. Penn coach Charlie Powell believes everyone on the team has to step up in order to defeat the defending indoor Heptagonal champion Tigers. The Quakers will need close to a perfect meet, but Powell is confident the team will stay focused and perform at a top level. "We'll go in as underdogs and try to knock them off their perch," Powell said.