W. Track sees success at Relays

With the best athletes in the country at Franklin Field for the Penn Relays last night, the Penn women's track team rose to the occasion. The Quakers finished in the top three in each event in which they participated. According to Penn assistant coach Cricket Batz Shaklee, the competition was "the best and brightest in the country." The top programs in the country, including Arkansas, Stanford, Tennessee and Villanova, sent their top athletes. Assistant coach Tony Tenisci said that many future Olympians were competing. Despite the fierce competition, Tiffany Archer became the women's Eastern collegiate champion high jumper. With a jump of 5 feet, 7 3/4 inches, Archer surpassed the closest finisher by 1 3/4 inches. This is the crowning achievement on what has been a year of many victories for Archer. "To win any division is fantastic. For a freshman, that's even more impressive," said Tenisci. "It's a huge and prestigious honor. She has all the talent in the world." Earning a second-place finish in its division was the 4x800 relay team. Shaklee was optimistic going into the event because she felt the team included the best 800 meters runners that Penn has ever had. They did not disappoint her. Michelle Belsley, Adria Ferguson, Jane Kim and Jenee Anzelone ran their laps in times of 2 minutes, 13 seconds, 2:14, 2:15 and 2:13 respectively. The total time of 8:55 was a mere two seconds off the school record set in 1984. Tenisci called their performance "fabulous." Senior Maggie Morrow, after winning in all five meets she has entered this season, almost continued that trend. She started the 3,000 meters in the lead, and held on for six laps. She then slipped into second and finally finished in third place at the end of the eighth lap. Morrow, even with three previous 3,000 meters victories, finished with her best time of the season. Her time of 9:47 was just short of the winning time of 9:44. Tenisci was thrilled with the Quakers' performances. "We've had a great day. We looked fabulous," he said. "We're real proud of them. They were absolutely wonderful. We put on a very nice show here," Shaklee said. Yesterday was only the first of three in the the Penn Relay Carnival, but that was when most of the events involving Penn women's athletes took place. Daria Smith is the only Quaker with events yet to come. Last night she was the only Penn athlete to qualify for the championship race of her event, and she will compete in the 100-meter hurdles championship today at 12:15 p.m. This caused Tenisci to compare her with the best athletes ever to compete on the Penn women's track team. The chances for a victory from Smith are slim given the extraordinary competition in the Penn Relays championships. Chris Lundy, a former Quaker and three-time all-American only managed a fifth-place finish in her event in the championships.