Track face Tigers and Nittany Lions

Coming off an impressive second-place showing in the West Point Invitational last Saturday, the Penn men's indoor track team takes its entourage to Princeton tomorrow. The Quakers are looking at what will no doubt be one of the toughest challenges of the indoor season. They will face off against archrival and defending league champion Princeton, along with Big Ten power Penn State. Those two teams, coupled with an improving Penn lineup, should provide for an afternoon of heated competition. Adding to the intensity of this meet is the feeling of rivalry. Penn and Princeton have been the class of the Ivy League when it comes to men's track in years past, and a head-to-head clash is pure motivation for both teams. Added into the mix is another strong track program in Penn State, making the meet that much more competitive. The Quakers are looking toward a strong team effort as they head into this weekend. The short distance runners, led by senior captain Greg Davis and junior Kael Coleman, have been sprinting well and should bring in a number of points tomorrow. "Our [sprinters] are really prime to run fast," Penn coach Nathan Taylor said. "I wouldn't be surprised to see them run the fastest times of the season." The middle distance and the relay runners, featuring sophomore Robin Martin and captain Neil Riordan, are coming into their own, especially after last week's performance. The relay teams, in particular, showed an awesome display of teamwork and have begun to come together. The hurdlers, jumpers and throwers, behind sophomores Dan Nord, Rich Carlson and junior Lucas Deines, turned in a solid performance and are looking to take it to the next level tomorrow. The field events are going to be highly contested by Princeton and are a crucial aspect of the meet. Until now, it seems as if the Quakers should have this meet in the bag. However, there is still the Achilles' heel of the track team -- distances. The endurance runners have been vastly improving over the course of the season, but the question is whether they have improved enough to contend with Princeton and Penn State. The outcome of the match will be heavily dependent on whether or not the distance runners can steal a few points. Penn will have to have strong performances from its entire team to capture victory on Saturday. The matchups will be hard-fought and intense and if the Quakers want to come out on top, the team will have to step up. "If we do really well, we have the potential to win," Taylor said. "I want every athlete to perform at his best or better than his best."