M. Track looks ahead after finishing second

The Quakers felt that they were rusty in finishing behind host Penn State. Although Penn men's track team did not come out on top at Saturday's meet at Penn State, the Quakers certainly gave the Nittany Lions some competition for Keystone State supremacy. In Saturday's competition at State College, Pa., the Quakers placed second in a field of five, beating out local rivals Villanova and La Salle (Nos. 3 and 5 respectively), as well as Washington University. Contributing greatly to Penn's success were senior Matt Pagliasotti, who captured first place in the 35-lb. weight throw (57' 1.50"), and sophomore Tuan Wreh, who logged an impressive early-season victory in the triple jump (15.28 meters). John Church placed second in the pole vault with a 16-foot clearance, and junior Mike Aguilar recorded the third-fastest 200-meter dash time in school history in finishing third Saturday afternoon. Penn's 4x400 relay team also finished second with a time of 3:22.22. Even though this meet comes at a very early point in the season, and even though the Quakers did manage to post a better-than-respectable second-place finish, many Penn tracksters were somewhat displeased with the way they fared in Happy Valley over the weekend. "You could see we were rusty," senior captain and distance runner Sean MacMillan said, noting Penn's five-week layoff between meets. MacMillan pointed out that many of the teams had participated in a competition the prior week, providing an early tune-up for Penn's opponents. The Quakers were also missing some key members who were unable to participate due to either illness, injury or disciplinary action resulting from a late return from winter break. Because these sorts of occurrences are unique to this stretch of the season and should not be a factor later in the year, the Quakers remain optimistic. "Right now, we're a championship team. In the big plan, this was a stepping stone," senior pole vaulter Bob Reynolds said. In addition to their bridesmaid-like finish at Penn State, the Quakers produced a number of promising individual performances in their first indoor meet held at Princeton on December 11. At Old Nassau, Wreh and Aguilar performed exceptionally well, but received acclaim for different events. Wreh won the long jump with a mark of 23' 4.5", qualifying for the IC4As. Aguilar, meanwhile, has demonstrated his prowess in three separate categories so far this season, as he preceded his third-place finish in the 200 at Penn State with second-place efforts in both the high hurdles (7.74) and 300 (35.2) at Princeton. A major concern during the men's cross-country season last fall was its disparity in talent. Runners such as co-captains Scott Clayton and MacMillan turned in brilliant individual efforts, but the team often suffered when other runners fell behind the pack or battled through injury. The winter men's track season has been a different story, however. Aside from having stars competing in nearly all indoor events, the Quakers also feature several standout athletes that excel in more than one department. Balance has been crucial to the Red and Blue's prosperity to this point in the indoor season, and it will undoubtedly be key to its big hopes for the future. "We have some amazing athletes," Reynolds said. The Quakers had the pleasant opportunity to display their talents before a large crowd, as 1,400 people attended Saturday's inaugural meet at Penn State's Multi-Sports Complex. The onlookers saw the home team emerge victorious, but should have also left the gymnasium believing that the Quakers are a legitimate threat. Though the Quakers may have shown some rust on Saturday, a Heptagonal championship in late February is still very much attainable. "We're definitely on track, or a bit ahead of schedule," Reynolds said.