Adjah shines to help W. Track at Cornell

With the most important meets of the season just around the corner, the Penn women's track team headed to Ithaca, N.Y., to compete in the Cornell Invitational. Penn mustered some strong individual performances, but was unable to win the meet at Barton Hall. Cornell easily took the victory with a team score of 97.5. The Quakers managed 62.5 points and finished second in the three-team field which also included St. Joseph's. Bassey Adjah led the way for the Red and Blue. The junior won the long jump and 55-meter high hurdles. She was also part of Penn's victorious 4x400 relay team. Adjah's victory in the 55 hurdles is amazing considering that this was only the second time that she competed in the event. "We were extremely excited with Bassey's performance," Penn assistant coach Tony Tenisci said. "She was just out of this world." Jeraldine Cofie was another bright spot for the Quakers. Cofie easily outran the competition in the 500 dash, winning by over two seconds. Penn dominated the event, with Alicia Terry finishing third and Alexandra Bliss finishing fourth. The Quakers' strongest event of the meet was clearly the long jump. In the event, which Adjah won, Penn claimed the top six spots and seven of the top eight. "Our girls in the long jump were just awesome," Tenisci said. "To claim all the top spots in an event like we did was just amazing." The long jump was not the only event that Penn dominated. Jen Thompson placed second in the triple jump in which the Quakers claimed five of the top six spots. The 200 dash was another excellent event for the Red and Blue. Richelle Clements led Penn with a second-place finish. Penn claimed four of the top six spots, with Adjah finishing third. "Each week different people are starting to step up for us," Clements said. "This weekend we really had a couple people show up and do their best." Amy Nichols also turned in a strong meet for the Quakers. Her distance of 13.3 meters in the 35-pound throw was good enough for second place. She also led Penn with a fifth-place finish in the shot put. With strong individual and team performances in numerous events, the Quakers could have been in a position to win the meet. Penn, however, faltered in several events and could not make up the lost points. The Quakers were unable to place runners in the top five in both the 800 and 5,000 runs. "We were very pleased with some areas, but we do have some work we need to do," Tenisci said. "We weren't at full-strength, so when they [the Big Red] are scoring five deep, it is hard to compete. We just didn't have the bodies." Another problem for the Quakers has been the lack of indoor practice facilities. The squad has been unable to work much on sprinting in the frigid January air. "It is especially hard for us without an indoor track," Clements said. "It takes us a bit longer to peak on our speed because we have to use the meets to work on sprinting. You just can't do it outside with these temperatures." The Quakers will have no time to rest, with meets the next five weekends. First up are the Jasper Relays next Saturday in New York. "I think that meet will be a great opportunity for us to compete against some tough competition," Clements said. "We should be able to work on our sprinting and hopefully peak at the right time." With Penn beginning to hit its stride and with meets in the next five weekends, the Quakers should be in great shape for the Heptagonal Championships in late February.