W. Track gets lost in BU shuffle

The Quakers finished with five top-six finishes at BU's Terrier Classic. Many college students, at one time or another, have felt lost in the crowd. This notion is tantamount to what happened to the Penn women's track team this weekend at the massive Terrier Classic in Boston. The Quakers entered the meet with a good deal of optimism, knowing they would be running on a "banked" track, which makes runners faster going into and coming out of the turns. But Penn's trip to Boston University on Sunday to compete in the huge meet for the first time in school history ended with little to show for it. "The track was good, but the facility wasn't that great. There was a lot of good competition," Quakers captain Shana Mcdonald-Black said of the meet, which was held in a former armory and included over 80 college and corporate-sponsored teams, in addition to a handful of unattached athletes. McDonald-Black's 16th-place finish in the 200-meter dash was one of the few bright spots for the Quakers. "I was dropping my times closer to where I want them to be," the senior sprinter said. However, McDonald-Black felt there was something lacking in the overall team performance. "It wasn't what we wanted to have," McDonald-Black said. "We didn't capitalize on our opportunity to improve on this [banked] track." Senior shot-putter Luana Botelho echoed her fellow captain's sentiments. "It was difficult -- a lot of things didn't go our way," Botelho said. "We need to work some things out." Though Botelho, who placed third in the shot, was one of only five Quakers to place top six in any event, she downplayed her performance. "I was very disappointed. I was just pressing. I got too excited, and when I get excited I lose technical focus," Botelho said. "I had a mental breakdown which I shouldn't have had. It's not about the placing, it's about performance." Another thrower, senior Mandy Bennett, also had a relatively good day, placing fourth in the weight throw. Pole vaulters Liz Wittles and Ami Desai also managed to break into the higher ranks on Sunday, placing third and sixth, respectively. Sophomore Bassey Adjah also placed well, earning sixth place in the long jump. "I was overwhelmed at first, knowing the kind of competition we were going to face," Adjah said. "Then I realized that I was the dark horse and I had nothing to lose. After that I got a little more confident, and I ended up very happy with how I did [in the long jump]." Adjah, unlike most of her teammates, was relatively upbeat about her performance and the team's prospects for the remainder of the season. "I accomplished my goals for the meet. I know I can get much, much better. [In] the long jump this year, I don't even have to think to perform -- I just go and do my best," Adjah said. "Although our team didn't perform well, I hope that was the meet to get the bugs out." If the Quakers didn't get the bugs out in Boston, they'll have to do it this weekend at the Princeton dual, their only meet before the Heptagonal Championships in two weeks. "We should've made our move last weekend," Botelho said. "But now we have to do it at Princeton, which is huge." Botelho was eventually able to draw something positive from the Terrier Classic overall. "It was eye-opening, it made us see the areas we need to work in," Botelho said. "It was good in a way. You always learn from these kinds of experiences." The captain then bottom-lined what the Quakers need to do to improve. "We all need to perform well at the same meet -- that's the only way to win a championship." Fellow captain McDonald-Black was confident in the Red and Blue's ability to do just that. "Once everybody realizes their potential, I think we'll be unstoppable."