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At the Quaker Invite, Penn's Mike Aguilar won the 110-meter high hurdles in 14.75 seconds. Teammate Jared Shoemaker placed second. (Adam Mark/The Daily Pennsylvanian)

The Penn men's track team did not get the balance of warmth and sunshine it was looking for in its first meet of the outdoor season in the Quaker Invitational at Franklin Field on Saturday. However, the Quakers did find a balance that helped brighten up the day. Despite the adverse conditions -- including rain, persistent cold and gusty winds -- the Red and Blue were firing on all cylinders Saturday. The Quakers garnered wins in short- and long-distance races, as well as in several field events. "You have to put the weather where it is and try not to let it bother you," Penn senior javelin thrower Seth Beaver said. "There's not much you can do to control the weather." Beaver did not let the inclement weather hamper his performance. He hurled the javelin 65.36 meters, which was far enough to earn him top honors at the meet. Penn senior discus thrower Justin King also notched a victory in his event by outdistancing the field by a mere six-tenths of a meter. Several Quakers' runners were also able to fight off the wind, cold and rain on their march to victory. Instead of being intimidated by cold and gusts, Penn's 4x100 relay teams ran like the wind. Not only did the Red and Blue's "A" team finish first in the event, but the "B" team garnered second place, trailing its teammates by only four-tenths of a second. Senior Mike Aguilar and sophomore Jared Shoemaker also took home first and second places, respectively, in their event, the 110-meter hurdles. Aguilar's winning time was 14.75 seconds. Some Quakers were able to endure the elements and win races at longer distances. In the 800-meter race, freshman Joe Plevelich beat out Temple's Danny Stevens by a margin of seven-hundredths of a second. Senior Andy Kish won the 10,000-meter race with a more comfortable cushion, beating the field by 20 seconds. Even with all the success that Penn achieved last Saturday, a few Quakers were dismayed by their performances because of the ugly weather. "Although we were generally satisfied with our performances, several guys were disappointed because of the weather," Kish said. Because the invite was marred by bad weather, was unscored and featured a field of small schools, this Saturday's effort was not the best indicator of how the Quakers match up with the nation's powerhouses. Next week's meet in Raleigh, N.C., should be a better barometer of how well the Red and Blue will fare this year. "There will be more competition and more adrenaline so we can see how we stack up," Beaver said. "We'll see where we're at and where we need to go."

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