M. Track looks strong in Raleigh

The Penn men's outdoor track team, along with 93 others, competed in the Raleigh Relays this weekend, hosted by North Carolina State. With over 2,000 athletes participating in the weekend meet, the Quakers were guaranteed to face some tough competition. "The best benefit is that it gives the athletes confidence that they can perform in high stress situations prior to when they want to perform their best," Penn assistant coach Nathan Taylor said. "I think it's beneficial all year long," Penn coach Charlie Powell said. "You won't get the best out of yourself in anything unless you challenge yourself." The Quakers met their personal challenge at Raleigh, exemplified by the performance of the athletes who set career best times. Penn javelin thrower Corey Shannon set a personal best, throwing the javelin 219 feet -- third best at Raleigh and 10 feet further than his old career best. His throw nearly qualified him for NCAAs. "That's been my goal all year," Shannon said. "I came within 10 inches, and I watched some tapes which show I still have a few things to correct." Shannon and Taylor both feel an NCAA qualification is an attainable goal for the senior javelin thrower. Next weekend at the Texas Relays, Shannon could earn a position in the national championship. "His performance was outstanding," Taylor said. "He and [Matt] Pagliasotti were the best performers at the competition." Pagliasotti finished in third place in the discus throw. His toss of 172 feet, 4 inches beat his personal record by about 23 feet, and it put Pagliasotti fifth all-time in Penn history. Overall, the field athletes fared very well, as they finished in the top eight in all but two events, the shot put and the hammer throw. On the track, Mike Stiffler finished in 12th place yet ran a personal best in the 400-meter dash with a time of 47.70 seconds. "Stiffler didn't score, but ran a personal best," Taylor said. "Typically it is the most competitive event down there." Penn also had two third-place finishes. Paolo Frescura finished third in the 1,500-meter run with his time of 3:52.47. While fighting illness, Sean Macmillan ran the 3,000-meter steeplechase in 9:17.76 -- placing behind only two of North Carolina's premier runners, Jeff Connolly and Mike McKeeman. Once again, the Quakers used their schedule to the fullest. Last week, Penn hosted a more low-key event -- the Quaker Invitational -- to open the season. This past weekend, the results weren't as auspicious for the Red and Blue. But in addition to a few personal bests, facing the nation's elite provided adequate preparation to the other Quakers in their quest for back-to-back Heptagonal Championships.