M. Track finishes in middle of IC4As pack

Star triple jumper Tuan Wreh did not compete because of a hamstring injury from Heps. Consider how difficult it is for a team to sweep through the 64-team field in the NCAA basketball tournament. Now consider doing it with just three people in your starting lineup and your leading scorer sidelined with an injury. The Penn men's track team faced similar odds at last weekend's IC4A championships at Harvard when the Quakers sent just 18 men to the tournament, while top programs such as champion Georgetown sent in excess of 30. To make matters more difficult, Penn's star jumper, Tuan Wreh, made the trip to Boston but did not compete due to a nagging hamstring injury, which he initially suffered during his record-setting jump at the Heptagonal Championships the previous week. Georgetown's Nathan Rollins, who won the triple jump event, only outdistanced Wreh's Heps mark by 3 1/2 inches, suggesting that, if healthy, Wreh would have had a terrific shot at scoring some points for Penn. These circumstances rendered the Red and Blue unable to legitimately compete with the region's elite teams as Penn finished in an eight-way tie for 36th place in the enormous 104-team field. Penn athletes did not have visions of IC4A glory heading into the competition, as they acknowledged their lack of depth. "I think the only disappointment was that we didn't send more people there," junior pole vaulter John Church said. "I don't think we really expected to make an impact at ICs." Especially after having participated in Heps the prior weekend, admittedly the most significant meet of the indoor season to most Quakers, Penn came out somewhat flat in Cambridge, Mass. "Most Heps teams don't do very well [at IC4As]," said junior pole vaulter Josh Coleman, who agreed that the team's performance was not that big a disappointment, given the situation. Though the Quakers do not appear overly concerned with their outing, an occasional lack of focus continues to hamper the progress of the team and is causing inconsistency. "I just sort of lost it mentally for the first time this year," said Church, who is confident that such a lapse will not recur in the outdoor season. Even despite a possible lack of intensity, Church, as well as senior vaulter Bob Reynolds, still put forth solid efforts. Reynolds placed sixth with a clearance of 16'1", while Church finished seventh, clearing a height of 15'9". "As a unit, we did pretty well," Church said. Coleman, though, actually ran into some difficulty as he found out just how deep and challenging the IC4A field was. "The opening height was actually my PR, so I didn't do that well," he said, indicating that a career day would have been mandatory to advance. With the exception of Wreh and senior thrower Matt Pagliasotti, who are both still awaiting potential berths in this weekend's national championships, the rest of the Quakers can now turn their attention to something they hold in even higher regard than either indoor Heps or IC4As -- the outdoor season, which commences with the Quaker Invitational on March 25. The Red and Blue feel ready for the new season and will welcome the opportunity to host the majority of its spring meets, including Heps, after traversing much of the East Coast throughout the winter season. Though excited about its prospects, Penn is careful to not be overly optimistic. "We don't want to get ahead of ourselves and start making predictions," Church said.

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