Davis sprints his way to lead M. Track for two seasons

As Greg Davis stood in front of his teammates before last weekend's Heptagonal Championship meet, he said, "This is our house, we're not going to lose in our house." And, as Davis said, the Quakers hosted and won the outdoor Heps at Franklin Field with a great effort from their senior co-captain Greg Davis on May 10 and 11. He won the 100-meter dash, placed second only to teammate Kael Coleman in the 200 meters and ran on the winning 4x100- and 4x400-meter relay teams. However, Davis was not always the great leader he has come to be today. It took hard work and determination in his first years at Penn to gain the respect he has from teammates and coaches alike. "He's grown greatly as an athlete and a person," Penn coach Charlie Powell said. "He is the dominant sprint force in the league now." "Greg grew up," Penn sprinter Henry Ado said. "He's more than an athlete, he's an individual and an excellent leader. His determination is exceptional. Whatever he does, he puts in 110 percent." Coming out of Uniondale High School in New York both Penn and the University of Texas wanted Davis for their track programs. "I hadn't heard much about the University of Pennsylvania," Davis said. "I was deciding between here and Texas. I think Penn had the best mix of athletics and education. I didn't think I would have received the same education [at Texas]." "He was one of our top recruits," Powell said. "He fit the bill perfectly for what we wanted." In high school, Davis was a top sprinter. He was the state champion in the 55-meter dash his senior year and set a state record of 6.32 seconds which held for two years. But all his high school success did not make for the easiest transition to Penn's program. "I was confident," Davis said. "I had very high expectations for myself and I think I pushed myself too hard. We work a lot more on strength and conditioning [in college]. My body wasn't used to that workload." "He came from a program that regularly didn't do a lot of work," Penn assistant coach Nathan Taylor added. As a result of the added work, Davis had an ongoing hamstring injury for a large part of his freshman year. Despite the injury, he was able to make it to the finals in the 55-meter dash and run on the winning 4x100-meter relay team. Sophomore year, Davis was able to stay healthy and win his first Ivy title in the indoor 55-meter dash. He was also part of the winning 4x100-meter relay team for the second time. Davis decided to stay in Philadelphia for the summer after his sophomore year and was able to continue weight-training for the coming season. Junior and senior year proved to be his two most successful years at Penn. Even though he contributed more as a senior, some of his greatest accomplishments occurred junior year. Penn Relays last year was one of Penn's better years at the Relays. Many people view the Quakers as only the hosts at this meet and not a threat to win anything. However, last year, the Penn 4x100-meter relay team won the IC4A division and the 4x200-meter relay team placed sixth in the Championship of America race. Davis was a part of both relay teams. Davis also ran a personal record time of 10.59 seconds in the 100-meter dash at the IC4A championships of his junior year. At the close of Davis junior year, Clive Brown and co-captain Chris Harper, two dominant Penn sprinters, graduated and Davis was elected captain. "We were really tight," Davis said. "I miss those guys. Once Chris graduated, I pretty much had to fill his shoes. It felt like it was a great responsibility to assume, but, I'm happy that I had that opportunity." As a team leader and dominant sprinter, Davis helped guide the team to both the indoor and outdoor Heptagonal championships. He also expanded his repertoire to include the 4x400-meter relay. "I think he's grown tremendously," Taylor said. "He came on this year and expanded his repertoire to be able to run an outstanding leadoff leg in the 4x400. He's become more patient with training and runs with more confidence." And it was this past season that Davis was a part of what he considers one of his best accomplishments. It was the IC4A finals for the 4x400-meter relay at this years Penn Relays. Davis ran a solid opening leg and along with Kael Coleman and Mike Stiffler, kept Penn in contention for Robin Martin on the anchor leg. Martin raced across the finish line in first with his arms raised to be greeted by his Penn teammates. "There were emotions running wild," Davis said. "That has to be one of the best moments ever." Davis also won his third 55-meter dash title this year to be one of only two or three men in league history to win three consecutive titles. He was able to set a personal record time of 21.49 seconds in the 200-meter dash this past weekend. Penn's team season came to a close last weekend at the Heptagonal Championships, but Davis still has two meets left this year. He is uncertain what place track will have in his life after graduation, that will depend on his final meets. But as a Wharton graduate, he will have a job at a consulting firm in New Jersey this year. "There are a few [opposing] coaches who are glad to see him go," Powell said. "I really don't want to think about losing him. He's been great for Penn athletics. Well be here for him because he was always here for us." And for any of us in the Penn community who have seen Davis run, it will be sad to not to see him in a Penn uniform next year. But he has been a great runner to watch and we are happy for the time we had.