M. Track falls short

Penn wanted to raise the indoor track roof, but instead the Quakers were stunned by a mediocre Harvard team, learning that they have a lot of improvements to make if they are going to capture the Ivy crown. The Penn men's indoor track team travelled to Cambridge, Mass., on Saturday for the Harvard Invitational at the Gordon Track and Tennis Center. Penn coach Nathan Taylor was not pleased with the Quakers' overall performance. "I think it showed that we have a very large number of freshmen and sophomores on the team who aren't ready to step up and take responsibility for the success of the team," Taylor said. But all was not lost for the Quakers, as some of the athletes' hard work paid off in personal records and performances that qualified them for the IC4A meet in March. Junior co-captain Scott Clayton earned second place honors in the 5,000 meter event and qualified for the IC4As. "Individually, I was pleased with my performance," Clayton said. "[But] it wasn't a very good team showing at all." Clayton will use the rest of the indoor track season to qualify for the IC4As in the 3,000 and the mile. During this meet he achieved his goal of qualifying in one of his three events. Sophomore Mike Aguilar finished on top of the competition in the high hurdles, but he felt that he could have performed better and blown away the competition. "I was satisfied that I won," Aguilar said. "There were some standout performances, but overall the team could have done a little better. That was due to a lack of experience." Also putting in solid performances were senior Stan Anderson, with first place finishes in the high jump and triple jump, and junior John Church, with a win in the pole vault. Sophomores Kyle Turley and Andrew Girardin also stood out, with Turley finishing second in the 35-pound weight throw to earn a trip to the IC4As, and Girardin winning the 800 in a personal best time. As a group, the Penn freshmen did not live up to the expectations going into the meet, but now they have a month to train hard and redeem themselves. "I think that now that they have gotten one college meet under their belt, they will be able to perform better at the next meet," Aguilar said. Aguilar and his teammates will use the winter break to "get a lot stronger mentally and physically" before the "full-blown indoor and outdoor season." The Quakers are viewing this first competition as a chance to measure their abilities and prepare for the rest of the season, which will be spent trying to achieve personal records and ultimately, to qualify for the IC4As.