It was the first battle of the spring season between two favorites for the men's Heptagonal track and field championships when Penn and Cornell squared off Saturday at the Penn Invitational.
Despite inclement weather conditions, Penn prevailed, sending a message to the Big Red and the rest of the league that they will not easily be dethroned.
"Cornell should be a little afraid of us," freshman Matt Evans said.
"We're going to be be a force to contend with."
The Quakers, after getting their first taste of league competition Saturday, remain confident that they are the favorites to win a third consecutive Heps title.
"It was [important to set a tone]," senior Sam Burley said. "And I think we did."
Although Penn will not face the third contender for Heps --Princeton -- until next weekend at Penn State, Burley still believes that Penn has "the best shot."
Burley's 1:48.45 first-place finish in the 800 meters may not approach last weekend's spectacular time of 1:45.6 at the Raleigh Relays, but given the poor weather conditions and the lower level of competition, he was satisfied.
"I was just trying to get a decent time in," he said.
"I'm pretty happy with how it's going. We'll see what happens in the next couple of weeks."
Evans crossed the line second after Burley, finishing in 1:52.68 and with a personal record.
Senior Brian Abram may have stolen Burley's spotlight for the day, shaving nearly two seconds off his personal record in the 400m hurdles and progressing much in his determined quest to make it to nationals in his last year at Penn.
A novice to the event, Abram took a giant step toward achieving his overarching goal of the season.
He won in 52.96, just missing the regional qualifying time of 52.70.
The Quakers dominated the event with George Witter and Luqman Kolade taking third and fourth place respectively.
Penn also had auspicious showings in the distance events.
In the 1500m, sophomore Nolan Tully finished second in 3:55.90.
Sophomore Stephen Hayes continued his solid spring, scoring fourth place in the 5000m in 14:41.39.
With Tully and Hayes running impressively, the Quakers' distance contingent hopes to make a strong showing at Heps once All-American Dusty Lieb returns from injury.
On the heels of a ninth place finish at the prestigious Raleigh Relays, junior Matt Wedge finished second in the 110m hurdles in 14.48.
In the javelin, junior Brian Chaput's throw of 72.06m was good enough for first place.
Despite the solid performances across the board in the distance, sprint, and field events, the Quakers were not competing at full strength -- and weather or injury was not the only factor impacting the Red and Blue's results.
The team continues to endure a debilitating training regimen, designed to produce peak performances at the end of the year.
Penn entered Saturday's meet in the midst of high-mileage intensity, and, as a result their legs were by no means fresh.
"The fact that we were competitive under such conditions is encouraging," Burley said.
With the Collegiate Challenge Series next on the schedule, Penn appears to be on its way to vying for yet another Heptagonal Championships.
But the Quakers know that anything can happen on a given day in track and field.
"We're ready to go to Heps and push for the win," Evans said. "It's really whoever performs best on that day."
