Sprinters to lead M. Track at U of P

The Penn sprinters have traditionally been a dominant force for the men's track team, and this year is no exception. The Quaker sprinters will be looking to improve upon a mediocre early season this weekend at the University of Pennsylvania Invitational tomorrow at 11 a.m. at Franklin Field. "Penn sprinters have been the group throughout history who have been the strongest," Penn assistant coach Nathan Taylor said. "The expectations for the sprinters are very high," Quakers senior sprinter Clive Brown said. "We are hoping for national qualifying times in the 4x100 and the 4x400 relays." Brown will run the second leg of Penn's 4x400 meter relay team which set an indoor school record of 3 minutes, 14 seconds. He is also scheduled to run in the open 200- and 400-meter events. It will be his first 200-meter run since his sophomore year. Having already qualified for the IC4A championships in the 400 meters, Brown will focus on qualifying in the 200 meters. Senior co-captain Chris Harper, who anchors the 4x400 meter relay team but is experiencing tightness in his hamstring, is not sure whether he will compete this weekend. "If I do run," Harper said, "it will be a meet to train through." Harper has high expectations for the season, adding, "I think we have a real good shot at a provisional qualifier." The 4x400 team will need a time of 3:07 to be considered for the national championships. The 4x100 meter relay team, which Harper also anchors, will need a time of 39.90 seconds to be considered. Teams with these times are provisional qualifiers and the top 10 provisional qualifiers will compete at the NCAA Championships. Robin Martin, a Michigan high school champion, is the only freshman on the 4x400 meter relay team. "I wasn't supposed to be on the 4x400 team," Martin said. "It's a lot of luck that I got on the team, but it's really good. I feel confident when I go into a race that we can run with anybody in the country." Brown and Harper were unable to run at the first indoor meet, and Martin was asked to fill in. And he took advantage of his opportunity, running fast enough to earn a permanent spot at the third leg of the 4x400 team. As of yet, the team has not been tested in a difficult meet. This weekend will be its first test against strong competitors. Junior Greg Davis and senior Henry Addo will be hoping to qualify for the IC4As in the 100- and 200-meter runs. They are also part of the 4x100 meter relay team. To qualify for the 100-meter event, both sprinters will need to run times of 10.74 seconds -- which will be personal bests for both runners. Addo is also returning from injury and is hoping to improve his early season times. Sophomore Kael Coleman has already qualified in the 200-meter run and will be focusing on the 100-meter event. He may also run in a relay if Harper does not run. At this point, the sprinters are focusing on their speed work and are training for the Penn Relays, the Heptagonal Championships and the IC4A Championships. "I think our sprint squad is tough," Coleman said. "If everyone stays healthy, we can do some damage."