M. Track visits Manhattan

After earning consecutive second-place finishes at Princeton and Cornell, the third time will truly be the charm for the Penn men's indoor track team if they can pull off another second-place finish this weekend. The Quakers will be competing in a deep field tomorrow at the Jasper Relays at Manhattan College. While Penn saw just three other teams at Princeton and only two others in Ithaca, N.Y., between 20 and 25 schools are expected to turn out for the Jasper Relays -- a meet that was not even on Penn's original schedule. The Quakers were originally slated to compete in the Terrier Classic at Boston University. No matter where they go or whom they oppose, Penn remains focused on continued improvement as its top priority. Senior pole vaulter John Church described the fine line between preparing for the Heptagonal Championships in late February and not overlooking each individual meet along the way. "Last year was a very disappointing year," Church said of the team's seventh-place finish out of nine at the '99 Heps. Church added that the Quakers have a superior collective frame of mind this time around. The team members seem to have adopted Church's steadying influence in the locker room, making coach Charlie Powell's job a bit easier. According to Powell, while a Heps championship is obviously the ultimate goal, each individual meet is a stepping stone to potential glory. To achieve that success, the Quakers will need more than just level heads and raw physical ability; health is also a vital ingredient for success. The Red and Blue have found that out the hard way. Several Penn distance runners did not travel to Cornell last week due to illness. This prompted the question of whether or not the squad should have continued practice as usual during an abnormally frigid week. The distance unit demonstrated its mental and physical toughness, though, when it resumed regular practice this week. The only interruption occurred with the University-wide shut down on Tuesday due to snow. While the runners -- led by senior captains Sean MacMillan and Scott Clayton -- will only get better with the proper mixture of rest and practice, Penn also has much to be excited about in many other events. Senior Matt Pagliasotti established an all-time school record by throwing the 35-pound weight 18.76 meters last week, while sophomores Tuan Wreh and Mike Aguilar have demonstrated their versatile prowess by placing in numerous events. The pole vaulting unit is also among the best in the region as three team members, including Church, have surpassed the 16-foot mark this season. Church is not surprised by the vaulting success, as former assistant coach Nathan Taylor -- now head coach at Cornell -- long anticipated big things from these athletes. "It's been expected for a while," Church said. "It's about time."

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