M. Track preps for second dual meet

The Quakers return home for their final meet before the Penn Relays. The Penn men's outdoor track team returns to Franklin Field Saturday to host Cornell in the Quakers' second dual meet of the season. After losing in their first dual meet at Princeton last weekend, the Quakers will have an easier opponent in the Big Red, who finished sixth at the 1998 Indoor Heptagonals. "I think we're a better team," Penn coach Charlie Powell said. "Hopefully we'll prove that. As long as our athletes all show up to compete, we'll be fine." Cornell (2-1) lost its season opener to Navy, the fifth-place finisher at Indoor Heps, 103.5-48.5. The Big Red's wins came in the same meet against Maine, 48.5-42, and Colgate, 48.5-7. Although Penn's depth translated into greater success at the Indoor Heps, Cornell has some solid athletes on their team that will be good competition for the Quakers. In particular Cornell features some of the Ivy League's top field competitors. Cornell senior Shaka Davis finished second in the triple jump, third in long jump and 11th in the high jump at Indoor Heps. "He's a good competitor," junior Stan Anderson, who outleaped Davis by over one foot to win the triple jump at Indoor Heps, said. "For me personally, he will make this meet exciting. I'll have to compete against him at Heps, so it'll be good because we don't see many Heps competitors during the season." Cornell also has sophomore Nat Toothaker, who finished 10th in the triple jump and sixth in the long jump at Heps. Powell and assistant coach Nathan Taylor point at these three jumping events and the pole vault as being the most competitive field events. Cornell juniors Greg Schlachter and Nathan Jauvtis finished fifth and sixth, respectively, in the pole vault at Indoor Heps. The best event Saturday, however, may be the 400 meter intermediate hurdles. "Six of the top nine intermediate hurdlers in the league will be on the track at the same time in a dual meet," Powell said. The race will feature Penn freshman Mike Aguilar, sophomore Craig Douglas and junior Tarak Sallam, who finished fourth at the 1997 Outdoor Heptagonals. They will be racing against two of the other top six finishers at last year's Outdoor Heps. Cornell senior Matt Worster finished third and his teammate, junior Bryan Weissenboeck, was sixth to cross the finish line. Nevertheless, this meet means more than just good competition. For the Red and Blue, it is their final meet of the season before Penn Relays, and subsequently the postseason. That means it is Penn's last chance to fine-tune everything before the heart of the schedule arrives. "I have a chance to improve in the high jump where I've been struggling all season," Stan Anderson said. For Cornell, this Saturday's dual meet is all about pride. "They consider us their big rival," Powell said. "Believe me, they will be ready and they will not take us lightly."

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