W. Track places third while hosting the Heps

Going into the Heptagonal Championships in Fairfax, Va., last weekend, the Penn women's track and field team knew that it was either now or never. Since the first day of practice, this is what the squad has spent its long, hard hours training for. After a series of invitational meets to start out the season, two dual meets in the middle (both Penn victories), and a solid showing in the Penn Relays, the Quakers appeared to be poised and ready to make some noise in Virginia. Even coach Betty Costanza felt that there were no clear-cut favorites, and figured Penn to be at or near the top when it is all said and done. She anticipated the strongest competition coming from Princeton, Brown and Cornell. After spending the spring "looking to see who our best people are and how we can put the best possible team together for Heps," Costanza has a stronger grasp of her athletes' capabilities on this deep and talented squad. The event was the last and most important meet of the year. The competition consists of the entire Ivy League plus Navy and is, for all intents and purposes, the Ivy League Championship. This year, Penn placed third with 113 points, behind top-finisher Cornell (127) and Princeton (126.50). Brown finished fourth with 100.50 points. Junior Tiffany Archer hoped to score in the high jump, after placing fourth last year at Heps with a jump of 5' 4 1/2". She equalled her performance, again coming in fourth with a jump of 5' 5 1/4". Lindsey Anderson also jumped well, placing fifth in the competition. The Quakers had counted on the sprint squad to come through with a strong showing. Last year's 4x100 meter relay team of Dawn McGee, Renata Clay, Shana McDonald-Black and senior co-captain Kelley King hoped to repeat as Heptagonal champions and for one last chance of breaking the Penn 4x100 record. Unfortunately, the squad's 48.19 time -- and third place finish -- was less than desired. King, however, was stellar in the 100 meter dash, placing second with a time of 12.38. King also placed eighth in the 200-meter dash. In the throwing events, the spotlight once again fell on Luanna Botelho. Botelho closed out her record-breaking sophomore season by finishing sixth in the shot put in the prestigious Penn Relays. At the Heps, Botelho again took first in the shot put with a 13.62 meters. Then, in the discus, Botelho threw for 41.40 meters, good enough for a fourth-place finish. Seniors Erin Soley and Christi Strawley were Penn's top hammer throwers. Placing third and eighth, respectively, Strawley threw for 45.74 meters and Soley chucked one 43.28 meters.