M. Track keeps focus to rout Cornell at Franklin Field

The Penn men's track team went into its meet against Cornell Saturday at Franklin Field aware the Big Red could pull an upset if the Quakers did not perform at their top level. Penn responded by coming up strong out of the starting gate, opening up a 43-16 lead after seven events on its way to a 104-59 victory. The best performances of the meet were turned in by the throwers. The Quakers swept all four throwing events 36-0. Many Penn throwers set personal records. "It was really encouraging that they did well even though there was a lack of competition," assistant coach Nathan Taylor. "They came to the meet prepared to throw." Clarence Hinton had his best meet of the season. He moved up to the number five spot on Penn's all-time list with a throw of 186 feet, 8 inches. He also came just short of qualifying for NCAAs with his throw in the discus. Among the other throwers, Chris Osentowski finished first in the shot put by topping his personal best by a foot. Josh Deines finished second in the discus and moved into seventh place on Penn's all-time list, and fellow discus thrower Nick May also recorded a personal best. Penn also received a strong showing from its sprinters. Chris Harper finished first in the 200 meters in his duel against Cornell's Chad Hunter, and was also a member of the winning 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams. Greg Davis won the 100 meters in 10.81 seconds and placed third in the 200 meters. Consistently strong Kelsey Armstrong contributed a win in the 400 meters. Among the distance runners, Aaron McCommons won the 1,500 meters by two one-hundredths of a second with a time of 3 minutes, 56.50 seconds. Chris Cross had a strong 800 meters, finishing second. Overall, the Quakers had a very productive meet, even though many events were not too competitive. The team is steadily improving as it heads into Penn Relays this weekend. "All of the guys on the team should be reaching their peaks soon," Taylor said. "Their best performances should come when it matters the most."