W. Track anxious to run outdoors

Blue skies and 80-degree temperatures are in the forecast for this Friday and Saturday's Raleigh Relays at North Carolina State, where the Penn women's track team will be competing. The weather will be a pleasant change from the harsh climate at last weekend's Quaker Invitational. Almost every school on the East Coast will be competing this weekend in one of two competitions -- the Raleigh Relays or the Florida Relays. "The Raleigh Relays is one of the biggest events of the season," junior Lisa El said. The "big" event comes on the heels of a decidedly small event last weekend that either was or wasn't, depending on who you ask, a worthwhile warmup for Raleigh. "The Quaker Invitational was important in working out the kinks," El said. But while captain Renata Clay concurs with El, she also sees a downside to the event in relation to the Raleigh Relays. "The Quaker Invitational, because of the weather, might have caused some aches and pains, which might be evident this weekend," Clay said. "However, last weekend also showed us who can compete in that type of weather situation and toughened up those of us that had trouble." The Relays are bigger than a normal meet because not only do more schools compete, but also more races are contested. Like the Penn Relays, the Raleigh Relays will feature all the regular open track and field events, and in addition will have some rarely competed relays. These additional races include a 4x 200-meter relay and a sprint medley. It is these additional races where captain Jen Roy believes the Quakers have a shot at beating a school record. The 4x200 team was only .7 seconds away last year. "This year's relay teams are extremely strong and hopefully they will cash in on a few school records," Roy said. She also pointed to the throwers and jumpers to have strong showings as well. Clay agrees with Roy in her predictions. "A lot of our athletes will fare well in the open events in addition to the extra relays," Clay said. The entire team is looking forward to racing in the nice weather, especially the sprinters. "Competing in the heat makes your muscles a lot looser," Clay said.

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