M. Track changes pace at Terrier Classic

Last weekend the Penn men's indoor track team went to Virginia Tech for an invitational featuring some of the nation's powerhouses from the Atlantic Coast Conference and Southeastern Conference. This weekend the Quakers head north to participate in the Terrier Classic, hosted by Boston University. The Terrier Classic should lack the caliber of competition that was present in Blacksburg, Va., last weekend. The meet at BU will feature smaller schools from New England, like Providence College and conference-rival Yale. Saturday's meet at BU will mark Penn's first appearance at the Terrier Classic in over three years. In recent history, the Terrier Classic was held on the same weekend as the annual Penn-Princeton dual meet, preventing the Quakers from attending. Princeton opted not to partake in a dual meet with Penn this season, enabling the team to compete in Boston. Last weekend, BU hosted the Terrier Cup, which was won by Rhode Island. Penn's toughest competition this weekend may come from the host school, a team featuring two top milers. In the Terrier Cup, Matthew Smith and Kevin Murphy, who both run for BU, finished first and second, respectively, in the mile. Both of their times were under 4:08, several seconds better than Penn's top times this winter. "I don't get intimidated by fast runners," sophomore Jason Greene, who will be running the mile Saturday, said. "Maybe I can hook along with them and get a fast time." In Beantown, coach Charlie Powell is looking to see how well the runners, particularly the sprinters, do. "[Boston University] isn't a great place for jumps, but it's a good place for sprints, so we'll be watching from the 400 meter dash on down," Powell said. "We also have two good guys running in the 800 and the mile, so we'll be watching that too." As the Red and Blue have been practicing this week in preparation for the meet, the focus of the team has continued to be trying to reach a Championship level. "Our goal is to have continued improvement over the next few weeks," Powell said. The Terrier Classic is just another opportunity for the Quakers to attain their goal. Penn will be competing in only individual meets until Heptagonals, which will be held at Princeton the last weekend in February. Now, the Quakers are looking for hard work and good performances, which will enhance their chances of glory down the road.

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