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Penn senior Bassey Adjah took first in the 100 high hurdles and long jump in last weekend's competition. (Will Burhop/The Daily Pennsylvanian)

Against the ferocious March winds, the Penn women's track team ran, threw and jumped its way to an impressive start for the spring season. The Red and Blue made their first appearance outdoors this past Saturday at the Quaker Invitational. Running against the likes of Bucknell, Temple, St. Joseph's and Villanova, the Quakers proved their squad is well-trained and ready to go. Penn stunned its competition and even itself by finishing in the top five in nearly every event. "I think we surprised ourselves that we performed so well, despite the cold weather," Penn senior Bassey Adjah said. "We're very optimistic about the rest of the season." With a shaky end to the indoor season, when they finished eighth overall at the Indoor Heptagonals, Penn was thrilled to come out so strong. "We were really pumped for our outdoor season," Penn freshman Kai Ivory said. "We were excited to get out there and do well." A windy and cold day wasn't exactly how the Quakers had hoped to start their outdoor season. But despite the conditions, the team opened at Franklin Field with enthusiasm. "It was hard to run in the cold conditions, with the risk of pulling muscles and hurting ourselves," Adjah said. "But at the same time we realized we weren't the only ones and there was no excuse." The Red and Blue were boosted by six individual wins and one relay victory. The 4x400-meter relay team was neck and neck with Delaware State, but in the final push outran the Hornets. The Quakers freshman aided the team on more than one occasion. Ivory placed first in the Javelin throw, helping Penn out on the field. Penn freshman Caroline Rebello continued to dominate in the pole vault. On Saturday, she was able to beat the rest of the field by more than a foot. "The freshman class has a really great bond," Ivory said. "At the same time, the upperclassmen have really taken us under their wings and helped us out. We all have a lot of fun." The veteran Quakers were also integral to the Red and Blue's success. Adjah beat out her competition in the 100 high hurdles, as well as the long jump. In the 400 hurdles, sophomore Crystal Marsh took first place for the Quakers and sophomore teammate Meredith Bunche won the triple jump. Senior Yinka Orafidiya continued her successful streak in the throwing events by winning the shot put. Senior captain Monica Maccani took second in the discus. "We just came out with a positive attitude," Ivory said. "We were prepared, ready and focused. Everyone came out and did what they had to do." Now that the Quakers have their first meet under their belt, they will turn their attention to the rest of the outdoor season. "We have a list of individual and team goals posted in our locker room," Bassey said. "We have that to reach for the rest of the season."

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