M. Track finishes a solid third place at Princeton

Penn continues to excel, but injuries and soft spots linger as the team heads to Villanova. Last weekend's trip to Princeton was significant for the Penn men's track team for a couple of reasons. For one thing, the dual meet represented the Quakers' first scored meet of the season. For another, it was the Red and Blue's first opportunity of the spring to go head to head with their old rivals and reigning Heptagonals champions. Penn placed third in the four-team field as Penn State took first with 205 points, Princeton grabbed second with 195, the Quakers finished with 169 and Villanova found itself vastly overmatched, mustering just 83 points at Weaver Track and Field Stadium at Old Nassau. Though assessments of the meet from the Penn athletes didn't appear extreme in either direction, one concern the team did voice is something that has largely been viewed as a non-issue up until this point. The Quakers are carried by tremendous individual talent, but their depth is somewhat in question. While star performers such as thrower Matt Pagliasotti and jumper Tuan Wreh may win their events on a near-weekly basis, Penn lacks a much-needed supporting cast in some departments to accumulate more points in scored meets. "We could have done a lot better in a few places," junior pole vaulter Aaron Prokopec said of the Quakers' efforts at Princeton. "It's great to have a Penn guy finish first in his event, but if the other team takes second, third and fourth, the team is losing more points than it's getting," junior javelin thrower Seth Beaver said. This principle seemed to hold true in nearly all events last week. Among Penn's runners, Sam Burley won the 800-meter run with a time of 1:52.00, and Mike Aguilar placed second in both the 200-meter dash and the 110-meter high hurdles. That was the upside. The upsetting news is that no other member of the Red and Blue finished higher than fifth place in any of those races. Likewise, Wreh, Penn's top jumper, won the triple jump with a mark of 50'01" and came in second in the long jump, reaching 23'01". Again, no other Quaker placed better than sixth in those events. Even the throwers, often an exception to this trend, were victims of just what Beaver described across the Delaware. Both Pagliasotti, who blew away his competitors to take first in the hammer throw, and freshman Brian Chaput, who continued his brilliant season by winning in the javelin by a rather healthy margin, enjoyed little support from their teammates a week ago. And in this Saturday's Villanova Invitational in which Penn will travel to the school that posted by far the fewest points at Princeton, some notable Penn athletes -- including Chaput -- will not participate due to injury. The East Haven, Conn., native is afflicted with an ongoing elbow problem that will now force him out of action and most likely sideline him until Penn Relays. Chaput is hurt because he has reverted to his previously unsound throwing technique that caused him occasional pain throughout high school. Although Chaput has made significant strides in improving his form in practice, Beaver says that the stellar freshman still puts up fantastic numbers despite regressing to his old ways in actual competition throws. In addition, Penn's javelin team must cope with the loss of sophomore Chris Crisman, who suffered a groin injury last week and will probably not compete at Saturday's meet. Despite these injuries and a desire for increased consistency, the Quakers know they still have a couple of meets before their crucial late-season stretch consisting of Penn Relays and Heps in which to improve and regain their health. "To win Heps, we have to be hitting on all cylinders," Beaver said. It has been Penn's prime objective all year to peak at the end of the spring season, so it's unlikely that injuries will derail the Red and Blue.