Men's Track ready for outdoor season

Last year, the Penn men's indoor track team came within three points of defeating Princeton to claim the outdoor Heptagonal championship. This year, the Quakers return a team determined to make the Tigers' stay at the top a short one. Penn's ultimate goal this year is to capture its first Heps title since the 1980 season. The Quakers are coming off an indoor season in which they reached their high point by finishing only 11 points behind Princeton at the indoor Heps. "After we came so close during the indoor meet," senior javelin thrower John Taylor said, "everyone took a step back and realized how good we can be outdoors." Penn begins the outdoor season today at the Raleigh Relays in Raleigh, N.C. The Quakers have a much stronger team outdoors than indoors. The outdoor season features more sprint events, which are the Quakers' specialty. Other events are added, such as the javelin, in which Taylor is an all-American. Penn coach Charlie Powell believes the Quakers have the talent to win Heps by 20 points. Leading the way will be the sprinters. Junior captain Chris Harper won the 400-meter sprint at Heps indoors and is the reigning 200 champ outdoors. Joining him is senior Kelsey Armstrong, who is recovering from an injury-filled indoor season. Armstrong is practicing now and running well, determined to put the indoor season behind him. The Quakers will be extremely strong in the weight events. Senior thrower Clarence Hinton is set to further his school record in the discus. Penn is also expecting strong seasons from shotputters Chris Osentowski, Josh deines and Lucas Deines. The top performer is Taylor, who is set to dominate Heps in the javelin, an event in which he ranks third of all returning Americans who competed at NCAAs. Taylor, who has thrown as far as 240 feet, has set his sights on the Ivy record of 246 feet. "I've been training for 30 weeks," Taylor said. "I'm fired up to get season started and finally compete." The distance events have always been a weak area for the Quakers, but with a strong mix of veterans and newcomers, this year could be different. Senior captains Joe Hall and Terry McLean will be among the top performers at Heps in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters respectively. The Quakers definitely have the talent to win the Heps, but they will need to avoid the injuries that have plagued them in the past. Powell also questions the team's focus at times, and hopes that one of its off days does not occur at a major meet. "We are our own biggest challenge," Taylor said. The competition in Raleigh today will be rivaled only by the IC4As, with each event featuring the top performers from the East. The meet will serve as a good indicator of where Penn stands in its quest for the Heps title.