M. Track searches for sun to run in

Raleigh Relays, held at North Carolina State, will get the Penn men's track team out of the cold. The indoor season ended a few weeks ago for the Penn men's track and field team, but last Sunday the Quakers probably wished their season lasted a bit longer. Penn, along with the nine other teams competing, found the weather outside to be a difficult adversary, as temperatures in windy Franklin Field hovered around the freezing mark during the Quaker Invitational. This weekend, Penn coach Charlie Powell's team hopes to find more favorable conditions as it travels south to Raleigh, N.C., for the Raleigh Relays, which will take place tomorrow and Saturday. "It will be warm and feature much better competition," junior Dan Nord said. "It will be the exact opposite of last week's meet." Nord, who competes in the hurdles and the jumps, feels the weather hurt his performance Sunday. "It was freezing out there," Nord said. "It was like trying to jump in the Arctic. I couldn't wait for the meet to end." He does, however, look forward to this weekend's meet at North Carolina State as a chance to turn in better performances. "This meet serves as a little spring break for us track athletes," Nord said. "I'm a California guy, so I definitely shine when the sun shines." While Nord and other Quakers may be shining, so will many other athletes at this meet. Unlike the Quaker Invitational, which featured mainly small schools from the area, the Raleigh Relays will host many of the top collegiate track teams in the East, as well as several professional track stars. Last year, Nord raced in a heat of the 110 meter high hurdles immediately after the one that featured 1996 Olympic gold medalist and record holder Allen Johnson. The Relays require competitors to meet specific qualifying times to ensure a high level of competition. As a result, not as many Quakers will be permitted to participate. For example, freshman Andy Girardin, who finished first in the 800 meter at the Quaker Invitational, is not sure whether his time of 1:55.75 will be enough to qualify him for the open 800 meter run. Girardin, despite winning the race, was not satisfied with his time and felt he should have run faster. "I just went out too fast, and I don't think the weather had anything to do with it," Girardin said. "I had a lot left when I crossed the line." Even if Girardin's time does not qualify him for the open 800, he will probably run a leg on the Quakers' 4x800 meter relay. The 4x800 was a top event for Penn during the indoor season, as the team ran one of the fastest times in the nation. After taking last weekend off, Robin Martin, the IC4A indoor 800 champion, will also run as part of that team.

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