Another Ivy rival on tap for M. Track

After pulling off an upset victory over its arch-nemesis last weekend, the Penn men's track team will get one more chance to compete with an Ivy League rival before the Penn Relays. The Red and Blue will travel to Ithaca, N.Y., tomorrow to compete in a dual meet against Cornell. Last weekend, the Quakers finished second only to national power Penn State, while defeating Ivy rival Princeton and crosstown power Villanova at Franklin Field. Although the Tigers and Wildcats may not have had all their top runners on the track last weekend, it was still a definite confidence boost for the Quakers going into the final weeks of the season. "I was very pleased with the effort we put out last weekend," Penn sophomore Brian Abram said. "I'm hoping to continue the success of last week throughout the rest of the season." Abram is one of a host of Quakers who has competed well so far this season. Abram will be running in the 200 meters, 400, 4x100 and 4x400 at this weekend's meet. Freshman Adam Chubb has also performed solidly so far. Tying the Penn high jump record in his first college meet, Chubb is only a few inches from the NCAA qualifying height and head coach Charlie Powell is optimistic that he might be able to hit that target very soon. Penn senior thrower Seth Beaver has also been a force this year. He won the javelin last weekend with a throw of 65.74 meters. "Seth has gotten to the point where he can do stuff and he can just make it look easy," Powell said. "I've been very pleased with his performance so far this season." The next few days should also tell the tale of whether or not Penn sophomore Sam Burley will run this season. Burley, a national qualifier in the 800 last season, suffered a stress fracture in his foot at the end of the indoor track season. During the beginning of the outdoor season, Burley kept in shape with pool and bike workouts and lifting. Since the injury is a stress fracture, Burley only needed to stay in shape and did not have to rehab. "I hope I can run this season," Burley said. "I'm on track to run well in the outdoor season, and I'd love to get out there and help the team." Powell said he and Burley will be speaking in the next few days to decide what to do for the remainder of this season. Although the Quakers should be able to top the Big Red this Saturday, Powell is a bit concerned about his team's lack of focus. With students -- especially seniors -- rushing to finish final papers and exams for classes, Powell realizes a few might be distracted and tired. "I have one senior on the team who has only slept about two hours a night for the past five days," Powell said. A second concern of Powell's is the weather. Last year it snowed when the team travelled to Ithaca for the dual meet. The forecast for this weekend is 63 degrees with heavy rain showers. Despite his worries, Powell still thinks the Quakers have a good shot to compete well this weekend. "If we come out focused and prepared," Powell said, "we'll be able to come out a winner."

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