W. Track ends year on a high

The Penn women's indoor track team came away with some very impressive results at the George Mason Lid Lifter women's indoor track meet in Fairfax, Va. Recording one first-place and five second- and third-place finishes Saturday, the team proved it will remain strong in 1999. Sophomore Ami Desai, Penn's current record holder in the pole vault, placed first with a mark of 10'11.75". Desai, who qualified for ECACs last week at Brown with a mark of 10 feet, was very satisfied with the team's overall sense of unity, as well as her results in the midst of stronger competition. "It's still early in the season, but I believe most people were pleased with their results," Desai said. "It was a very good opening for us.? At the end, we all got together and cheered for the team, and that felt good." Desai, a two-time ECAC qualifier in both the indoor and outdoor events, should have an even more impressive campaign this year. Freshman Liz Wittles took third in the pole vault with a mark of 9'5.75" Aquiyla Muhammad, one of the best jumpers in Penn history, claimed second place in the triple jump. The All-East senior also took second at Brown the previous weekend. Junior Stephanie Bell came away with a very impressive second-place finish in the mile with a time of 5:18.64. Samantha Desposito and Katie Henderson, both freshmen, followed by placing fifth and sixth, with times of 5:22.70 and 5:22.92, respectively. Co-captain Luana Botelho came away with her second third-place finish in the shot put in as many weeks, while fellow senior Mandy Bennett finished third in the 20-pound weight throw for the second straight week as well. Senior Vicky Moore had another impressive weekend, taking third with a time of 1:16.10. Also in the top 10 were freshman Jeraldine Cofie and junior Laura Phillips, who placed sixth and ninth overall, respectively. Eileen Duffy, Jessica Lloyd and Meredith Rossner excelled for Penn's distance team, nearly dominating the 3000 meter run with third, fourth and fifth place finishes, respectively. Penn's 4x400 meter relay team, composed of Moore, Cofie, Phillips and senior Jessica Mitchell, finished third with a time of 3:56.61. The team broke both the indoor and outdoor records last year and should continue to be one of Penn's biggest strengths. The Quakers now have nearly a month off before heading to the Yale Invitational on January 9.