W. Track set to battle for U.K.

Between vying for spots to England and proving themselves against the Ivy League's indoor champions, Penn has a lot at stake at this weekend's meet in Ithaca, N.Y.

And host-Cornell had better be ready.

Penn's matchup with the Big Red is critical for a number of reasons. Besides facing an Ivy competitor, this meet determines which athletes will qualify to go to the quadrennial exchange with Oxford and Cambridge over the summer.

Penn is already slated to send a contingent to England, but will be able to add additional athletes to the roster depending on the team's performance this weekend.

"The team that wins gets to take a few more people," Penn coach Tony Tenisci said. "If you win your event you'll win your spot to England."

This crucial meet comes at an unfortunate time though. Despite Penn's excellent performances last weekend against Princeton and Yale, the athletes are beginning to feel the heat of their approaching finals.

This stress may be a factor in the outcome of the meet. Cornell is not having finals yet and, as such, is already at a slight advantage.

"We're at a very stressful time of year because finals are coming," Tenisci said. "If I had my way we'd have this competition at another time.

"Given that there's so much at stake I'd prefer a more conducive environment."

In addition to the pressure of finals week, another obstacle for the Quakers will be overcoming the intimidation that accompanies facing the Ivy champs on their home track.

"I think we'll be going in with a really positive attitude," Penn sprinter Crystal Marsh said. "But you can't get around the fact that Cornell is such a powerhouse so we're going to have to step it up."

Cornell is a particularly strong team on all fronts. The Big Red have an impressive roster of about 75 athletes who will be competing against Penn's 41.

Despite this size discrepancy, Penn is not concerned about Cornell's extra athletes.

"Only the best will compete with the best," Tenisci said.

This meet -- like all Ivy meets -- is scored in a sudden-death format. For relays, the winning team will earn five points and the second place team will receive three. In individual events between zero and four points will be given according to ranking.

This head-to-head structure is one the Quakers feel comfortable with having already between Princeton and Yale last weekend with the same scoring.

"We're really good in head-to- head competition so I think we'll fare pretty well," Tenisci said.

The Quakers are excited to step up their performances at Saturday's crucial meet. They are sure, though, that if their past outdoor performances have been indicative of a trend they are in good stead against the Big Red.

"Everybody's really pumped about going there. We're pumping each other up," Marsh explained.

Tenisci believes that the Quakers are ready to face everything they are up against this weekend.

"As long as they keep doing what they're doing," he said, "they'll be just fine."

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