M. Track heads to Penn St.

After a solid finish in the Delaware Invitational, the Penn men's track team turns it attention to the Penn State Collegiates.

Ranked No. 24 in the nation by the U.S. Track Coaches' Association, the Quakers view this weekend's meet as a chance to see how they stack up against the rest of the nation.

The Quakers will facing some of the top track teams including a quintet of Big Ten schools -- Michigan, Michigan State, Illinois, Indiana and host Penn State -- as well national powerhouses Air Force, East Carolina, Kent State West Virginia and Ivy rival, Princeton.

Penn coach Charlie Powell understands the high level of competition the Quakers are going to face this weekend -- and he thinks his team is ready.

"Penn State has gotten together 12 of the top teams in the country, and we're going to head to head and bang it out," he said.

Besides being a critical test for Penn, Powell also sees the meet as a measuring stick for the Quakers overall competitiveness.

Not only will this serve the Quakers well in their quest for a higher national ranking, but it will also give some of its underclassmen the understanding of what it takes to be top competitors.

"The key thing for Penn to be in this meet is it is a national caliber meet," Powell said. "It is letting our guys know just how good they can be."

It is these lesser experienced runners who will be key for Penn this weekend.

Besides the usual top contributions of Tuan Wreh, O'Neil Bryan, Steve Faulk and Sam Burley, the Red and Blue will look for their second tier of players to step up, as well.

"Our second echelon will be knocking at the door," Powell said. "It's that next group you are always trying to work up to that next level."

The Quakers will also seek to further prepare themselves at the Penn State Collegiates for their ultimate goal -- success at the annual Heptagonal Championships held Feb. 23 and 24 in Ithaca, N.Y.

Junior Brian Abram -- a 400m dash runner for the Quakers -- has his eyes squarely on the Heps as he heads into this weekend's meet.

"I am looking for something to catapult me into running well in two weeks," he said.

Another goal for Penn is to secure a few more IC4A championship qualifying positions.

Thus far, the Quakers have seven individual competitors slated to compete in the events, as well as two relay teams.

Junior shotputter Brendan Callahan is right on the cusp of qualifying. He needs to improve his year-best distance by 10 centimeters this weekend in order to earn a spot in the IC4A field.

"We'll see if we can get a few more [IC4A qualifiers] this weekend," Powell said. "Maybe some NCAA qualifiers, as well."

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