W. Track hurt as Heps loom

With the Heptagonal Championships at Dartmouth beginning this weekend, a simple algebraic equation will sum up the predicament the Penn women's track team finds itself in. What do you get when you take a young team minus juniors Michele Belsley and Daria Smith and a host of other unforeseen injuries? Well, first place at Heps is certainly not the answer and neither is second, third or fourth place. In fact, the chances of Penn placing fifth this weekend when it enters Leverone Field House at Dartmouth are very slim. "Each season we train hard and then when it comes to crunch time we lose key people," Quakers coach Betty Costanza. Costanza went on to admit that for the past three seasons, this has become a common scenario for the Penn women's track team. Sh has already come to the conclusion that with the unexpected absence of Belsley, who was diagnosed with mononucleosis yesterday, Penn will simply not place in any event from the mile race on up. There are three events in which the Quakers may have a chance to take first place. Sophomore Tiffany Archer will be among the favorites to win the high jump. Freshman Kim Mason hopes to take first in the long jump in her first Heps competition. And junior Angie Jimenez will have a good shot at victory in the pentathlon. The loss of Smith, the No. 2 hurdler in the Ivies at the start of the year, was a big blow. Given Smith's injury, coupled with the sudden illness of Belsley, Penn's hopes have shifted from contention to playing the role of spoiler. Costanza believes the loss of Smith and Belsley will cost Penn anywhere from eight to 20 points in its overall score. With the competition so close, those lost points were more than Penn could afford to lose. For the Quakers to have achieved their pre-season goal of topping last year's third-place finish at Heps, every junior and senior on the team would have needed to play a big role. Without that part of the equation, Penn will have a lot of blanks to fill at Dartmouth. Some of the other question marks for the team: Can sophomore Dawn McGee come back and compete well in the 55-meter hurdle dash after a layoff of three weeks? Can sophomore Nuru Hunter return after being sidelined for six weeks? Will junior Chrisann Sevoian's nagging hamstring injury hamper her performance? And can the Quakers find a way to overcome the simple fact that they no longer have any sure points? With all the "ifs" for the Quakers, it will be difficult for them to go up to Dartmouth this weekend and perform up to their earlier expectations. "I think the team is better than what may happen at Heps this weekend," Costanza said. Given the injuries and lack of experience, Costanza will take whatever her young athletes can give her. "Will they be able to handle the pressure and perform up to their capabilities?" Costanza asked. "I don't have the answer to that. This is the Heps. The competition is great and everyone rises for Heps. I have basically a freshman and sophomore class going in to compete."