Distance runners lead M. Track to win

With the Penn Relays now just days away, the Penn men's track team could not be in a better frame of mind. The Quakers did just what they hoped to this past weekend, as they defeated Cornell and Birmingham (U.K.) at Franklin Field on Saturday in exciting fashion. And they couldn't have drawn the meet up any better themselves. The three-team meet not only included a number of standout individual performances by the Red and Blue, but Penn also delivered under pressure by winning a number of events late in the day. This clutch performance finally gave the Quakers some breathing room after being locked in a 111-111 tie with Cornell. The 5,000-meter race proved to be the turning point in the competition as Penn won going away, 159-148, over the Big Red. Birmingham, which strung together three first-place finishes in the running events, was considerably outclassed in the field events, capturing just 92 points. Penn team members finished first and second in the crucial 5,000 meters, but it was who earned those placements that made the race even more thrilling. Sophomore Matt Gioffre established a personal record in finishing first with a time of 14:39.2, while senior captain Scott Clayton took second with a mark of 14:40.9. Neither of these athletes traditionally run this event, but a joint decision between many of the distance runners and coach Charlie Powell resulted in some productive mixing and matching. This will presumably enable each performer to find his niche for Relays and the Heptagonal Championships, which will also be at Franklin Field, on May 13-14. "I'm happy for our team," said sophomore Tuan Wreh, who won the triple jump with a distance of 15.6 meters and placed second in the long jump with a mark of 6.88 meters. "We were able to show some intensity when it counted." One man who certainly showed some intensity on Saturday was senior thrower Matt Pagliasotti, who has made the practice of breaking school records a weekly routine. The Paris, Texas, native again topped his own record in the hammer throw, as he reached a distance of 62.42 meters. He also placed third in the discus, behind winner Brett Coffing of Cornell and Penn freshman Justin King. The Quakers throwers were not just supported by Pagliasotti, however. Senior Brent Stiles took first in the shot put with a mark of 15.52 meters and junior Seth Beaver won the javelin with a distance of 62.90 meters. Even in the absence of freshman phenom Brian Chaput and sophomore Chris Crisman, who were both sidelined with injuries, the Red and Blue managed to grab three of the top four spots in the javelin competition. Overall, there were very few, if any, negatives to find in the Penn victory. Even the predicted rain showers that forecasters warned of never really materialized after a whole day of rain on Friday. "The weather held up; we were in good spirits; and we did well," Wreh said. And the fact that it was rival Cornell is not to be lost in the pre-Penn Relays shuffle. Saturday's meet may have been a solid tune-up for the Quakers, but beating the Big Red and former Penn assistant coach Nathan Taylor made it even sweeter. "It's kind of a cockiness thing," said junior Darryl Olczak, who placed second in the 400. "We can't lose to our [ex]-coach." Olczak also pointed to a number of factors from the Cornell meet that could galvanize the Quakers for a late-season surge. Chief among these was Penn's strong effort in the 4x100, in which the Red and Blue placed second despite sophomore Steve Faulk straining his hamstring mid-race. "It was a good sign of what's to come next week at Penn Relays," Olczak said. Olczak was far from the only jubilant Quaker following the meet, as most enthusiastically applauded their team's performance. "We win when everyone comes to participate, and that's how we're gonna win Heps," junior sprinter Josh Seeherman said.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.