W. Track tunes up for Heps

In a non-scoring meet, W. Track performed well at George Mason. Sunday's invitational meet at George Mason University marked the final opportunity for the Penn women's track team to prepare themselves for Heptagonals at Harvard on February 22-23. No team scores were kept at the meet, allowing the athletes to concentrate on their individual efforts. The Quakers treated the meet as if it were a training session, bringing them now to a full taper. "It was a real nice tune-up -- a good speed training meet in preparation for Heps," Penn assistant coach Tony Tenisci said. "It was a chance to run quality speed prior to going to championships, and we felt that they got that." As usual, many personal records were set by the Quakers. Freshman Richelle Clements had a personal best time in the 200-meter run, while Erin Soley, Mandy Bennett and Christi Strawley all had strong performances in the 20-pound weight throw, coming in third, fifth and sixth respectively. Notably strong finishes were made by Dawn McGee and Angie Jimenez in the 60-meter hurdles, as they placed third and fifth, respectively. Additionally, Adria Ferguson finished sixth in the 400-meter run, while Aqiyla Muhammed took fourth in the long jump. In the high jump, there was a tie for third between Lindsey Anderson and Tiffany Archer. Now it is time for the Quakers to take what they have learned so far this season and put it to the test at Heps this weekend. As defending champions, there is no doubt that they are prepared to fight for the retention of the title. "We have had a great year," Penn coach Betty Costanza said. "We really haven't had a bad meet. Everything is now in their hands. The work has been done. They just need to be mentally prepared." Last year going into Heps, based on their performances that season, the Quakers were predicting a seventh-place finish. But the final score, with Penn in first, proved that surprises are to be expected. "We came out of the cellar last year, caught on fire, and won the championships," Costanza said. "This year we've run better, we've jumped better, and we've thrown better -- and it's the same team." In other words, just because Penn and Brown are tied for third on paper going into this weekend's meet, (behind Cornell and Princeton), the final outcome is far from being determined. The Quakers know that if they can advance to the semi-finals and finals from the trials, they will score. Because the meet will be held on a six-lane track instead of an eight-lane facility, there will be fewer athletes than usual eligible for the finals. This means that there is less room for mistakes, but Penn feels ready for the challenge. "Penn traditionally has the type of kids that fight -- not necessarily the stars, but they give 500 percent," Costanza said. "We're looking to do what we've been doing. We just want to put our best foot forward. The whole team has to rise in order to win -- and have a little bit of luck on our side."