M. Track goes toe-to-toe with nation's best in N.C.

The 110-team field at the Raleigh Relays last weekend pitted some of the best runners in the country against each other.

But for junior 800 meter runner Sam Burley, the field of racers boiled down to just one -- Princeton's Ryan Smith.

"There's been a rivalry since my freshman year," Burley said. "It's nice racing against him, especially since he's a great runner."

"This is the best rivalry I've ever had, both in college and in high school."

Great rivalries are always a struggle. Last weekend, Smith's 1:49.15 effort edged Burley's time by 28-hundredths of a second.

The Tigers' runner finished second, while Burley took a disappointing third.

"I'm not very pleased [with my time]," the junior, who was an All-American indoors, said. "It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't what I was expecting either.

"It was a mediocre race."

Two members of the Quakers joined Burley near the top of their respective events.

Senior Tuan Wreh finished second in the triple jump with a leap of 50'-6" behind Norfolk State's Desmond Kapofu.

Sophomore javelin thrower Brian Chaput also claimed the runner-up spot with a throw of 223 feet, exactly five feet behind Tennessee's Leigh Smith.

"Brian's just getting back into it," Penn coach Charlie Powell said. "He didn't compete at all last year; he had major surgery on his elbow.

"Most javelin throwers in the country would love to be throwing 225 feet, but for him it's like, 'Yeah, so what? I do that in practice all the time.'"

But the N.C. State meet was more a grand spectacle than a routine practice. Numerous single-event fields boasted more than 100 athletes.

In the 400 meter dash -- in which there were 136 competitors -- Penn junior Brian Abram took 26th in a time of 48.15.

Senior Matt Gioffre was one of 108 in the 5000 meter, but managed to capture 32nd.

Penn freshman Nolan Tully's challenge was not quite as sizeable, but he still encountered 50 opponents in the 3000 meter steeplechase.

"It wasn't overwhelming," Tully, who finished 29th, said. "I had a lot of meets in high-school like that. [The size of the race] really didn't make much of a difference."

Other top finishers included junior Justin King who took 13th in the discus with a throw of 151' 3".

Sophomore Zach Suttile claimed seventh in the pole vault at 15 feet.

The impressive finishes, especially in the field events, can be attributed to near-perfect weather.

"It was beautiful," Tully said. In Raleigh "it was 75 and sunny -- [in Philadelphia] it's 60 and windy."

Despite Tully's displeasure with Philadelphia weather, he and the Penn track team will have to hope the skies clear before next weekend's Quaker Invitational.

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