M. Track runs the fastest 2 miles in the East

Robin Martin, Paolo Frescura, Jason Greene, and Andrew Girardin ran the 2-mile relay in 7:38.13 last weekend. One week after Robin Martin set this season's top time in the 800 meter run, he again entered the 1998 record books with the rest of the two-mile relay team. Martin, Paolo Frescura, Jason Greene and Andrew Girardin made up last weekend's two-mile relay team that ran at the Terrier Classic, hosted by Boston University. Their time of 7:38.13 topped second place Georgetown's time by slightly over one second and it gave the relay time the top collegiate time in the East. Penn coach Charlie Powell strategically gambled when putting together last weekend's relay team. "On an indoor track where the first leg is crowded, you want someone who is strong and has experience," Powell said. Powell chose senior Frescura to run the first 800 meter leg. As the only senior on the relay team, Frescura, who normally runs the mile, brought the most experience to the table. Following Frescura came Greene, another one of the team's top milers. Both runners' versatility is shown by their ability to run top times in the 800 meter leg, where they are normally accustomed to running the mile. "It's a different pace. If it's shorter you have to be aggressive," said Martin, who can relate to Frescura and Greene because he runs two different distances (400 and 800 meters). The major coaching decision Powell needed to make was when to run Martin, the nation's fastest 800 meter runner this year. Powell could have had Martin run the third leg in an attempt to give Penn a large lead entering the last leg. Powell's other option was to save Martin for the end. Powell opted to run Martin third. As the baton was passed to him, Penn was in second place. Powell's plan was executed to perfection, as Martin easily passed the leader of the race and gave Girardin a 10-12 meter lead heading into the final leg. "In an open event, you just think about winning," Martin said. "In a team event, you're trying to give your teammates an advantage. It's a different mindset." In the final leg of the relay, the Georgetown competitor came on strong, but was unable to pass Girardin in the final stretch. "At the end, it's more of an adrenaline rush than anything," Girardin said. "In a relay, the stakes are higher because you don't want to lose it for the team either." The team that ran the top time in the East is a unique group of individuals. All four classes at Penn are represented by these athletes, and they originally came from places all over the world. Frescura, the senior, is from France. Junior Robin Martin and sophomore Jason Greene represent the midwest, hailing from Michigan and South Dakota, respectively. The relay team's New Hampshire representative is the freshman, Girardin. Next weekend, the track team heads south to the University of Delaware for their Invitational. Powell is going to mix things up by having his athletes participate in events new to them. Frescura will be running the 3000 meter and Martin will be running the mile. Greene, who normally runs the 1200 meter leg of the distance medley, will be running the 800 meter leg. Girardin, however, will not change his event. He is running the 800 meter because he is still looking for his IC4A qualifying time. Next weekend's break from the norm should be interesting because the team will do something irregular. However, it will be hard to match the excitement created by the two-mile relay team last weekend. Thanks to great coaching and four fabulous performances in 800 meter runs, Penn now holds this season's top two-mile relay time in the East.

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