W. Track dominates Delaware

Domination. In the sports world, it's what every team wants. And on Friday, some members of the women's track team got a taste of what it feels like. Friday night, Penn competed against Delaware and West Chester in a three-way meet hosted by the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens. Penn controlled the entire meet, taking first in 10 of the 13 events. It managed this feat without many of its varsity athletes, who the coaching staff wanted to rest before heading into the second, more crucial half of the season. For many of the younger participants, this meet served a dual purpose. First and foremost, it gave the women an opportunity to improve their times and get more competition before next week's big meet at Princeton. "This weekend is probably the last weekend of just preliminary stuff," sophomore Laura Phillips said. "Next weekend is Princeton. It's a big rivalry, it's a big meet and it's an important meet for the team." The meet as well helped to build confidence in many of the team members. Penn's streak began in the 55 meter dash, where the Quakers swept the top five places. Penn sophomore Chris Faulkner took first with a time of 7.37 seconds. Crossing the finish line after her were senior captain Renata Clay, senior Dawn McGee and sophomores Serena Poole and Sarah Ryan. Faulkner also managed a first place finish in the 200 meter dash. Normally a hurdler, Faulkner, did not compete in the hurdles at this meet. Even though she did not compete in her regular events, the sophomore was still pleased with her times in the 55 meter dash and 200 meter dash. "My goal was to run a good time, not specifically to win," Faulkner said. "I feel comfortable and happy that I actually ran the times that I did." Though Penn was unable to secure a second place finish in the 200 meter dash, it took the next five places thanks to sophomore Richelle Clements, Clay, Poole, sophomore Laura Phillips and freshman Aliya Latif. In the 400 meter dash, Phillips finished first, followed by Latif and freshman Acacia Reed. Phillips finished with a time of 61.10 seconds. "I definitely think I've been improving consistently," Phillips said. "I wanted to hit 60 seconds, but it didn't work out that way. I guess [it was] because of the competition -- there wasn't anybody pushing me." Sophomore Stephanie Bush won the 800 meter run, adding to Penn's quest for first place finishes. In the 55 meter hurdles, Penn swept the top three places thanks to McGee and juniors Julie Denisenko and Melody Pullen, each who had a time under nine seconds. In the field, Penn senior Satsuki Mitchell led the high jumpers with her first place finish. Quakers' junior Lisa El won the long jump with a distance of 17 feet 4.75 inches. In the shot put, freshmen Meg Guilford and Yinka Orafidiya placed first and second respectively. Freshman Ami Desai added to the first place count in the pole vault with a height of over nine feet. "We won the pole vault, we won the 4x400, we won the long jump, we won the shot put. We dominated this meet," Penn coach Tony Tenisci said.