M. Track to face Tigers

Since the beginning of collegiate athletic competition, the Penn-Princeton rivalry has been one of the fiercest in the nation. That tradition may be traced back to the late 19th century, when the men's track teams established themselves as Eastern powers. The Tigers and Quakers are once again the two strongest teams in the Ancient Eight. Princeton has won the last two indoor titles, and Penn has taken three of the last four outdoor championships. The latest chapter of the historic rivalry will take place tomorrow, when the Quakers travel to Princeton. "The thing about Princeton is we just don't like 'em," Penn junior middle-distance runner Jim Primerano said. "It's not that we don't like the guys on the team. But on the track we go at each other's throats." The Quakers are coming off a strong showing last Saturday at the West Point Invitational, nearly sweeping the running events. They achieved their objective of improving on their mediocre win over Cornell a week earlier. Unlike that Big Red meet, just winning tomorrow -- no matter what the margin is -- will satisfy Penn. "When we run against Princeton, it's a lot more emotional than any of the other dual meets," Primerano said. "We want to run good times, but the most important thing is, we want to beat them. We're really racing against them, instead of just the clock." Although the Quakers have dominated outdoor competition, they have not been able to compete with the Tigers indoors in recent years. "Their team is geared towards indoor competition," sophomore sprinter/long jumper Mike Stiffler said. "They have an excellent middle-distance squad, and that's where you score most of the points indoors." Despite their comparable success, the teams have different strengths, different attitudes and different training strategies. "A lot of the time during the indoor season, they're a step ahead of the competition," Primerano said. "They tend to peak early, while we get stronger later on. I guess we just have different philosophies." The Quakers seem content with their status as outdoor kings. "We honestly care a lot more about the outdoor title," sophomore middle-distance runner Aaron McCommons said. "There are some events that are only run outdoors, and we're stronger later in the year, so I think [the outdoor] determines who is the real champion." After last week's decisive victory at West Point, Penn feels prepared to take on its bitter rival, despite Princeton's history of indoor dominance. "I did pretty well last year, and I'm in much better shape now than I was then," McCommons said. "It should be great meet," Primerano added. "We're really going to go at it." In addition to the Princeton meet, the 4x400-meter relay team of Stiffler, senior Clive Brown, freshman Robin Martin and senior Chris Harper will be competing at the Millrose Games at Madison Square Garden in New York today. "It's a small, awkward track, but I expect that we'll do well with our team back together," Stiffler said.