Track teams see different results

Men fall way short of expectations at season-opening Raleigh Relays The Penn men's indoor track team entered the Raleigh Relays Friday and Saturday on a high note. Having completed a successful indoor season, the Quakers were excited for the start of an outdoor season they thought could be one of their best in years. The Relays would feature most of the top teams in the East and the level of competition would be higher than the Heptagonals championship. Penn's anticipation was met with disappointment. Most team members did not perform at the level they are capable. "The meet was a reality check that we can't rest on our laurels from the indoor season," assistant coach Nathan Taylor said. "As a coach I have expectations that the performances can be better." The Quakers entered the meet with several disadvantages. The meet was Penn's first of the season, while most other teams had already gained meet experience. The Quakers were also feeling the effects of a tough practice week that was affected by cold weather. Finally, several top performers, including Heps 400-meter sprint champion Chris Harper and high jump champion Dave Rechtweg, did not compete for reasons ranging from injuries to Friday classes. The one bright spot for the Quakers was the performance of their two top throwers, Clarence Hinton and John Taylor. Hinton placed second in the discus with a throw of 173 feet, 5 inches. Even more encouraging was his fifth place finish in the hammer with a personal-best distance of 174-10. Taylor, an all-American last year, finished first in the javelin with a throw of 228-11. Taylor, whose personal best of 240-3 was set while he was at Brown, bettered his own Penn record of 227-11. His throw also surpassed the provisional qualifying mark for the NCAAs. Taylor suffered a pulled groin in the process and may miss this weekend's meet, but he is not expected to be out for an extended period of time. "I'm very happy with where I am. It was the furthest opening throw of a season I've ever had," Taylor said. "It's where I want to be at the beginning of the year." The Quakers did not fare so well in the other events, with only a few members placing highly. Junior pole vaulter Greg Schroeder finished sixth with an outdoor personal best of 15-7. Junior Clive Brown had the best meet of the sprinters, finishing ninth overall in the 400 with a personal best of 48.04 seconds. The 4x100 relay team of freshman Tyson Murphy, sophomores Greg Davis and Jon Yu and junior Henry Addo was able to qualify for the Intercollegiate Amateur Athletic Association Championship with a time of 42.10 seconds. The majority of the Quakers were not pleased with their performances. Although the level of competition was high, the Penn team believes it should be able to challenge for the top spots. "The meet was disappointing," senior captain Kelsey Armstrong said. "There was nice weather and good competition, but we did not respond and run the times we should have run." The meet was exactly what Penn needed to keep it focused on larger goals, such as winning Heps later in the season. Nathan Taylor still believes the team is in a better position at the beginning of the season than in recent years. The Quakers hope to rebound from the Raleigh Relays with a strong performance Saturday at the Quaker Invitational. Penn will have its first home meet of the season as it plays host to 11 teams.