Crucial injuries hurt W. Track

The Penn women's track team was poised to continue its momentum and prevail against Yale and arch-rival Princeton this past weekend at Franklin Field. With nearly 10 injuries, however, this task was virtually impossible. Most of those injured were among the best in their respective events. Co-captain Monica McCullough, hurdler Daria Smith, sprinter Jamila Northington, distance runner Bridget Ward and thrower Nicole Vadino all played key roles throughout the year but were unable to compete. Despite these setbacks, Penn still finished in second place. The Quakers blew out Yale by 26.5 points and fell to Princeton, one of the top teams in the Ivies, by 11 points. "I'm totally amazed," said assistant coach Tony Tenisci of how his battered team came within 11 points of Princeton. "If we had been at or even near full strength we would have blown them away. We would have just creamed them." Erin Soley agreed. "It was a little disheartening. Things went wrong that shouldn't have. Many of the people who were injured could have given us more points," she said. One of the reasons for the close finish was the performance of the throwers. Despite the fact Vadino was out, Penn still managed to win three of the four throwing events. Cheryl Edwards won the hammer throw, Jiminez was victorious in the shot put and Soley won the discus. In the only event the Quakers didn't win, the javelin, Jiminez and Christine Schelin finished second and third. "The throwers held up better than I ever expected," Tenisci said. "They really rose and contributed." Soley was not as satisfied with the throwers' performances. "Although it seems like things went really well, I'm not that happy with my performance. I think that there's a lot of room for improvement. We haven't peaked yet," she said. The Quakers were also helped by Maggie Morrow, who once again completely dominated the distance events. After a strong finish to the indoor track season, Morrow has finished in first place in all four outdoor track meets. Last weekend she won the 3,000 meters, despite the very competitive field from Princeton. "Maggie's running out of her mind. She's a phenomenal athlete," Tenisci said. "She's really crossed the threshold." Jenee Anzelone also continued her success. After winning two events last week, she was again victorious in the 1,500 meters. The priorities for the Quakers now are to get everyone healthy again, and to prepare for the more important meets coming up. "Nobody will remember the Princeton-Penn-Yale duel if we do well at Heptagonals," Tenisci said. "We need to focus on the things of greater value."