Brian Chaput finishes first at IC4A's

Of all the precious medals, gold is surely Penn men's track star Brian Chaput's favorite. The junior cannot seem to get enough of it.

After breaking the Penn school record in the first meet of the outdoor season, the javelin specialist grabbed first place at Penn Relays -- the first Penn athlete to accomplish such a feat since 1922 -- and earned first place at the Heptagonal Championships for a second consecutive year.

One is hard pressed to remember the last time Chaput did not finish on top. His only blemish on the season came in a non-amateur competition early in the season: a second place finish to Penn javelin coach and former school record holder John Taylor -- his mentor -- at the Raleigh Relays.

But Taylor's apprentice is not one to rest on his laurels. Success continues to beget more success for the East Haven, Connecticut native.

Last weekend, Chaput won again. With a hurl of 238'1"--more than four feet off his personal best -- the Penn javelin record holder outclassed the competition at the IC4A's by a remarkable 14 feet.

His performance helped the Quakers rebound after a dispiriting third-place finish two weeks ago at Heps. Scoring 32 points on the weekend, Penn finished eighth out of 49 teams.

For many Quakers, the IC4A's marked the end of a disappointing season, rife with ups and downs. But for other athletes, the meet was merely a tune-up for the regional meet in Fairfax Virginia at the end of the month.

Senior Sam Burley, with the team season wrapped up, will now shift his focus to a longstanding individual goal -- winning nationals in the 800 meters. The All-American began his preparation for nationals at the IC4A's, finishing in 1:49.92 -- the second-best time in the qualifying round.

Keeping his eyes fixed on the bigger prize, Burley opted to rest rather than compete in the finals.

Sophomore Nolan Tully continued his stellar season, taking third place in the 5000m in 14:18.50 -- the sixth best time in Penn outdoor history. Finishing fourth were juniors Matt Wedge with a time of 14.32 in the 110m hurdles and senior Mike George in the decathlon with 6,733 points -- the ninth best score in the program's history.

Grabbing seventh and eighth respectively were senior Brian Abram in the 400m hurdles in 53.83 and junior Chris Edmonds in 48.03. Both were subpar times for two leaders of the Quakers' middle distance contingent.

After his race at the IC4A's, Abram appears less confident in his chances of making nationals as a senior -- a goal which he has been furiously pursuing since he picked up the 400m hurdles at the beginning of the spring. Though the senior broke the regional qualifying time of 52.70 at Heps, he must finish in the top five at the NCAA East Regional to participate at nationals.

"It's going to be an uphill battle," he said. "But I might as well go for it."

Burley believes that as many as five Penn athletes have a good chance to make nationals. And he believes he has a good shot to win the meet himself.

"I think I'm in pretty good shape [for nationals]," Burley said. "It'll be nice to run in nice weather. It should be interesting. I'm pretty confident I'll do well."

However, given the stacked field in the 800m this year, Burley may not even be Penn's strongest contender for a national title. He believes Chaput "will win it," and keep his impressive streak alive.

With the regional meet next on the schedule, the Quakers will begin their quest to recover from Heps by basking in national glory. A top-15 team result at nationals would certainly help mollify the pain of not winning Heps.

"I think nationals will take some of the bitter taste away," Burley said. "It wouldn't cancel it, but it would make us feel better."

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