Third place at Challenge Series good enough for M. Track

The Penn men's track team is hoping that history will repeat itself.

The Quakers finished third behind Princeton and Penn State on Saturday at the Collegiate Challenge Series in State College, Pa.

But the Quakers remain unfazed.

Despite the disheartening loss, the Quakers still feel that they can defend its title at the Heptagonal Championships.

"I don't think this hurt our confidence at all," sophomore Nolan Tully said.

Penn's persistent confidence is not without basis, as it has won two consecutive Heps Championships after losing to Princeton at this meet in both years.

"Once Heps comes around, I think we'll be in good shape," Tully said. "I don't think we went into this meet intent on winning."

The meet's configuration-- which allows only two scorers per event -- may have factored into the weekend's result, because the Quakers could not "stack" their strongest events.

What's more, Penn feels that it is better suited to a bigger meet like the Heps because it is a "top-heavy" team.

Tully said that while "Princeton is a little more solid from top to bottom, [Penn's] roster has better individuals."

Indeed, that superior Princeton depth may have made the difference on Saturday.

"Princeton's depth really helps them in a meet like that," Tully added.

The Quakers hope that their strength at the top, including athletes such as senior Sam Burley and juniors Brian Chaput and Chris Edmonds,will be able to offset Princeton's depth in a meet like the Heps -- which has nine teams as opposed to four.

And while they could not lead the Red and Blue to victory this weekend, Penn's stars shone throughout the day.

The Quakers' eight first-place finishes were the most of any team.

Among individuals,Edmonds stood above the rest. After hard-fought victories in both the 200m and 400m, Edmonds went on to help the 4x400m relay outlast Penn State by two seconds.

High-jumper junior Adam Chubb -- who recently returned to the team from basketball -- did not compete like an athlete with a mere week of practice under his belt. His jump of 2.09m was good for first place.

As the favorite to win the high-jump, Chubb will play a critical role at the Heps.

"He's going to be big for us," Tully said.

Penn coach Charlie Powell witnessed stellar performances from the field throughout the day.

Sophomore Neal Wojdowksi took first place in the pole vault, and Chaput -- who appears poised to make a run at nationals -- was in usual form, winning the javelin with a throw of 71.28m.

In the 110m hurdles, junior Matt Wedge sprinted to a blistering time of 14.04 -- his best of the season.

But not all of the Red and Blue had the luxury of running in their typical events.

Senior leader Sam Burley ran the 1500m due to the meet's unusual restrictions on entries.

Away from the familiar territory of the 800m, Burley did not look the part of a novice in his distance. He passed Villanova senior Tom Parlapiano on the final stretch to claim first place by only 0.02 seconds.

The Quakers can only hope that the team results are as poor a predictor of things to come as they have been in past years.

"On paper, I'd say Princeton is a better team," Tully said. "But I feel that we have a pretty good chance of winning."

And while Princeton may be the favorite after this weekend, the Quakers are anxiously awaiting May 3 -- the date when they hope to defend their title.

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