M. Track looks to declaw cats

A week after the Penn men's track team defeated its opponents from across the big pond in Oxford and Cambridge, the Quakers will shift their concentration to some quality local programs this Saturday at Franklin Field. The Quakers will compete against some of the strongest squads in the area -- Princeton, Villanova and Penn State. Both the Nittany Lions and the Wildcats competed in last weekend's Franklin Field Invitational. But the Red and Blue had their sights set on winning the United States-England bout and were not as concerned with intrastate rivalries. This weekend, however, Penn realizes it has its hands full with other Keystone State teams. "This is a big-time meet," Penn senior distance runner Andy Kish said. "These are some of the premier teams in the East. Penn State and Villanova have quality athletes on every level in the spectrum of track athletes." This weekend will provide a better test of the competition's talent, as the Quakers' last meet against Penn State and Villanova may not have been an honest gauge. "They definitely had some guys that are high-caliber athletes not at the meet last weekend," Penn junior jumper Tuan Wreh said. Of course, the squad from Old Nassau won't be a pushover either. Princeton took first place in the Indoor Heptagonal Championships this winter. The Quakers finished second. "They are a good team," Wreh said. "I can't deny that, even though I don't like them." Despite the fierce competition this weekend, though, the Red and Blue are confident in their own abilities. "I think we'll hold more than just our own," Wreh said. "We're a strong team and we're hungry." Unfortunately for the Quakers, some key contributors from the indoor season have yet to fully recover from injuries and will not be able to compete this weekend. Indoor 60-meter hurdles champion O'Neil Bryan is still bothered by a hamstring injury and is unavailable this weekend. Sam Burley, Penn's sophomore standout in the 800, is also sidelined with a leg injury. Still, injuries haven't ebbed Penn's confidence. "We have to focus on what we do and execute on all cylinders," Wreh said. "Sitting around thinking of what other teams can do isn't going to make us run faster or jump further." This weekend's meet gives Penn its last chance to face competition at Franklin Field before the gathering of the cream of the crop in two weekends at the Penn Relays. If the Quakers can fare well against the ferocious felines of the Tigers, Wildcats and Nittany Lions on Saturday, they should be in good shape for the Carnival. "This is the opportunity we need to fine-tune some aspects of our competition," Wreh said. "Because when the Penn Relays come around, everything will be on the line."

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