M. Track welcomes return to Franklin Field

Most casual observers might see outdoor track as the same sport as indoor track. Penn men's track coach Charlie Powell, however, sees otherwise. "The sprints are totally different distances, plus you have to put in temperature factors," Powell said. "And, of course, there's the wind." That being said, the Quakers will still be counting on the same performers outdoors as they did in the indoor season. That strong team finished second in the Ivy League behind Princeton. In the sprints, Penn will be led by juniors Gene Sun and Steve Faulk and freshman Luqman Kolade. Those three all finished in the top 10 at the indoor Heptagonal Championships. In the hurdles, Heps 60-meter champ O'Neil Bryan and junior Mike Aguilar are Penn's top performers. Bryan, however, will most likely sit out a few early meets due to a hamstring injury. Penn sophomore Brian Abram, Heps champion in the 500, will be running the 400 outdoors. He is optimistic about the upcoming season. "It's difficult to do as well outdoors, since everyone just performs better in the spring," Abram said. "I'm looking forward to having a good season, though." Abram's roommate Sam Burley, who qualified for Nationals in the 800, will begin the season sidelined with a stress reaction in his foot. Powell said Burley might not compete until Penn Relays, which begins April 26. "Sam's training like crazy," Powell said. "He can't run, but he's doing work on the exercise bike, in the pool and he's doing some heavy lifting." In the longer distance events, senior Bryan Kovalsky and sophomore Anthony Sager had the strongest seasons of anyone indoors, and will probably lead the Quakers outdoors. In the jumps, junior Tuan Wreh, last year's top performer, begins this season with an injured hamstring. Like Bryan and Burley, Wreh will rest at the start of the season, and it is uncertain when he will return. "We want to let some of our top guys heal up at the start of the outdoor season," Powell said. The Quakers will also look to a few athletes to do well in events that do not take place during the indoor season. Seniors Charlie O'Connell and Seth Beaver are very strong javelin throwers, and junior Anthony Ragucci is one of the top steeplechase runners in the nation. In addition to those three, freshman Adam Chubb, a Pennsylvania state champion in high school, will compete in the high jump. Chubb plays basketball for Penn in the winter. Besides Chubb and Kolade, Joe Plevevich in the 800 and Chris Edwards in the sprints are other freshmen who have had success. Despite the good number of younger athletes who excel on the Quakers, Powell does not like to put any pressure on them to perform in their first year. "We love it when the younger kids come through," Powell said. "But our main goal is to just get them adjusted to being a student-athlete in college." The Quakers begin their season at the Quaker Invitational this Saturday at Franklin Field. The meet features mostly local schools, and will be an opening test for every team involved. "It should be a good, fun opening meet for us," Abram said. "We're all just excited to get out on the track again."

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