Botelho, freshmen throwers lead W. Track

Juniors have providedJuniors have providedleadership to talentedJuniors have providedleadership to talentedrookie throwers Breaking records is nothing new for Penn freshman thrower Luana Botelho. Although Botelho did not start throwing until the ninth grade, she quickly made a name for herself at Oliver Ames High School, breaking her school's all-time record in both the shot put and discus. However, the strong freshman from eastern Massachusetts never anticipated setting the Penn shot put record at the Quaker Invitational last Saturday, only her second collegiate outdoor meet. But after an initial toss of just over 12 meters, Botelho fired her second shot put 12.82 meters -- setting a Penn record in the process. "I figured my throw was close," Botelho said. "But it wasn't until I heard the cheers that I knew I had the record." Botelho returns to South Field -- where she eclipsed Lynn Kowal's 14-year-old shot put mark -- this Saturday when the Quakers host the University of Pennsylvania Invitational. The 14-team U of P field is highlighted by Ivy League rivals Cornell and Princeton. The Big Red and Tigers, along with indoor Heptagonal Championships runner-up Dartmouth, will be the only teams talented enough to challenge the Quakers for the outdoor Heps title. Immediate contributions from freshmen, such as Botelho, have made the Quakers the early Heps favorites this spring. "This is by far the strongest team we have had for the past few years," Penn junior hammer and discus thrower Lauren Askinazi said. "In the past, the throwers have not played a strong part. [Junior throwers] Erin [Soley], Christi [Strawley] and I try to give the freshmen support. And the freshmen are teaching us as well." Rookie Mandy Bennett was just as quick to credit the upperclassmen for her immediate success. "One of the reasons Luana and I have done so well this year are the junior throwers," said Bennett, who finished third last weekend in the discus. "With so many throwers, [assistant coach Tony Tenisci] is always busy, and [the juniors] are always there to support us emotionally, provide us with examples and push us to do our best." The wealth of freshmen talent is not limited to just the throwers. Freshman jumper Lisa El has two first-place finishes in her first two meets, even with injuries keeping her out of practice most of the spring. And freshman long jumper Kimberly Mason showed promise, finishing second at the Penn Invitational. "The freshmen class is just incredibly talented," Botelho said. "It has just overall incredible talent." The young Quakers hope to follow Botelho's lead and earning a place in the Penn record books themselves. "We want to show that this indoor championship wasn't a big surprise," Botelho said. "We want to show that it wasn't just luck."

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