The Penn women's track team is ready to face Princeton and Penn State in this weekend's upcoming meet at Penn State.
After competing on the same track last weekend in Happy Valley, the Quakers will use this advantage to improve their scores and times in the upcoming meet.
While Princeton competed last weekend as well, the Tigers had minimal representation at the Penn State Nationals and do not serve to benefit as much as from the event as the Quakers.
"Princeton didn't have the taste of the track last weekend," sophomore Erin Rhoades said. "We don't have to break it in this week."
Penn State's track is a hydraulic banked track that can be banked or flattened within a couple of minutes. This feature consistently improves runners' times.
The specialized track, coupled with last weekend's experience, has given the track team confidence in its ability to beat arch-rival Princeton this Saturday.
"We always have a chance to beat Princeton," Rhoades said.
Other members of the Quakers focused more on the banked track than the Tigers.
"We don't get to run on a banked track often," Penn senior Petra Stewart said. "You try to take advantage of it."
The fast-paced track has Penn's team looking for personal records in the hope that their times will be matched and beaten at the upcoming Heptagonal Championships at Cornell.
The Heps are in the back of all of the team members' minds.
"Everyone's getting really goal oriented as Heptagonals near," Stewart said.
The team's focus on the Heptagonals is fostered by the support that has been felt throughout the season and continues to motivate the Red and Blue to improve their scores and their times.
"There's a lot of support across the board. You hear it and you feel it even though and because we are a small team," Stewart said.
As motivated as the Quakers are to beat Princeton, the Tigers are also entering this weekend determined to beat Penn. They are a strong team and will certainly put up a tough fight.
"We always have a chance to beat Princeton. It matters who's on and who's not that day. We're pretty evenly matched," Rhoades said.
Besides the inherent desire to defeat Ancient Eight rival Princeton, Penn State will also motivate the Quakers to run faster. The Nittany Lions have a massive team of about 75 athletes and compete at a high level. That competition promises to push the Quakers to run even harder than they otherwise would.
Ultimately, the tri-meet between Penn, Princeton and Penn State this weekend will be an opportunity for the Quakers to step up to a new level of competition. The athletes are looking for personal records and a win over Princeton.
"Our team dynamic is really good. We have a chance to do really great things," Rhoades said. "We're all doing very well."
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