With Heptagonals in the past, W. Track focuses on personal bests at ECACs

With the Heptagonal Championships now behind the Penn women's track team, a select few of its members are now focusing on the next challenge of the season -- the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championships at Dartmouth on March 1 and 2. Traditionally, Heps is the biggest and most important meet for the Quakers. It is a meet where Penn has individual as well as larger team-oriented goals. At ECACs, individual athletes set personal goals for themselves as opposed to preoccupying themselves with worries of team score. Penn junior Satsuki Mitchell noted that all of her teammates will undoubtedly have goals identical to hers -- those being to set personal-best records while in competition with the top track stars in the East. "At such a high class meet we will be able to run better and jump better," Mitchell said. "All around we will be able to compete better because there will be such a high level of competition." Contrary to ECACs, the Quakers had the opportunity at Heps to establish themselves among schools similar to Penn in the way of academics and athletics. In other words, the schools that participate in Heps, namely the other seven Ivies and Navy, are all need-based schools, while those competing at ECACs have many athletes who do receive athletic scholarships. Consequently, those teams have an advantage over those like Penn at a meet such as ECACs when it comes time to tally the points for final overall team scores. But this disadvantage has no effect on Penn's individuals as they set goals for themselves. This year, in addition to two relays, 13 Quakers qualified for ECACs. Of those athletes, only five have elected to compete individually this weekend. Four additional team members, plus an alternate, will also travel to take part in the 1600-meter relay. Because team score is not the main focus of Penn, head coach Betty Costanza and assistant Tony Tenisci have left competing in the meet an option that did not have to be taken by the qualifiers. Penn senior co-captain Angie Jiminez will enter in the pentathlon, while senior Erin Soley will compete in the 20-pound weight throw. Junior Dawn McGee will enter in the 55-meter hurdles, while sophomore Lisa El will compete in the triple jump event. The relay team of Jen Roy, Jessica Mitchell, Vicki Moore and Sonya Croswell remains unchanged from what it was at Heps. Although the ECACs may not be the most indicative of Penn's ability as a team, it will certainly be a significant indicator to the individual participating Quakers of their success and overall improvement during the indoor season.