Maggie Morrow leads W. Track at Quaker Invitational

Maggie Morrow led the women's track team to its second straight successful meet with her second consecutive victory in the 3,000 meters. After switching over from the 5,000 for the outdoor season, Morrow has now won in both meets. Yesterday's unscored competition, which consisted of more than 10 schools, provided a very competitive field. "We're just enjoying Maggie having the season of a lifetime," Penn assistant Tony Tenisci said. "That talent has been there all along, and now she's really tapping into it." Tenisci said Morrow's performance was "indicative of the speed that she has." In the 3,000 speed is more important than in the 5,000. Morrow said she hopes to run in both the 3,000 and 5,000 at the Heptagonal Championships. With Morrow leaving the 5,000 yesterday, somebody had to take her place. Bridget Ward, who also won yesterday, was that person. Tenisci attributed these performances to the incredible shape that Ward and Morrow are in. Ward felt the small number of competitors in the 5,000 helped her victory. Most distance runners ran in the 3,000 instead of the 5,000. She added she was still not happy with her time. Sophomore Daria Smith dominated the 100-meter hurdles with a victory by almost half a second. Tenisci was thrilled with her performance. "Smith had the meet of a lifetime. She's coming along beautifully," he said. Smith finished second at last week's meet and attributed her improvement to the training. Before the meet she trained for the 250-meter hurdles, which put her in great shape for the 100 meters. One area of the meet that was not as successful for Penn was the throwing events. Erin Soley proved to be the sole bright spot with a third-place finish in the discus. In the hammer throw, shot put and javelin, no Quaker could manage better than a seventh-place finish. The injury situation, which previously plagued the team, has improved. Belsley and most of the other injured Quakers have returned. Jamila Northington should be out for another week, and co-captain Monica McCullough should be out for at least two more weeks. Tenisci hopes McCullough will be back for Penn Relays. Even with the high-profile Penn Relays approaching, most of the team is still looking ahead to the Heptagonals May 6-7. "We can go out and shine at the Penn Relays, but the Heps are what counts," said Smith. "Penn Relays is important because we host the country," Tenisci said. "But the most important thing is that we focus on the outdoor championships."