Junior Nolan Tully literally brought the crowd to its feet this weekend at the Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup in State College, Pa.
Tully and Don Wilkins of Central Michigan faced off in a nail-biting 3000-meter duel that saw Wilkins take the lead in the final stretch. Tully finished an agonizingly close second, only four-tenths of a second behind Wilkins.
"It was an unbelievable race overall," Penn head coach Charlie Powell said. "The crowd really got into it, and they were on their feet for the last lap."
The weekend also saw a number of Quakers athletes make it into the all-time record books. Freshman Courtney Jaworski's time of 1:50.15 in the 800-meter was the third fastest time in the entire history of the program. Jaworski also earned a spot at the NCAA indoor championships and U.S. nationals.
A pair of juniors took part in the record breaking. Tully's gutsy performance in the 3000-meter placed him fourth all-time, while Neil Wojdowski propelled his way to sixth all-time in the pole vault with his performance.
"Those performances really speak for themselves," Powell said.
As a team, the Quakers produced five top-five finishers on the weekend. In addition to Tully, Jaworski and Wojdowski, senior Matt Wedge took third in the hurdles, while junior Stephen Hayes placed fifth in the mile.
After the dust had cleared, the Red and Blue amassed 44 points overall. The score was good enough for seventh place out of the very competitive nine-team field.
The Quakers edged out Ivy rival Princeton, while Cornell, the only other Ivy team in the meet, took fourth place.
Michigan, ranked as high as third in the nation by some polls, took first place, followed closely by No. 7 Central Michigan and No. 15 Penn State.
"We faced some of the toughest teams in the country, yet no one was intimidated," Tully said of his team's effort.
Powell also saw the meet as an important barometer of where the team is and where it can go.
"Anytime you get the chance to butt heads with the top teams in the country, you have to take it," Powell said. "These are the meets where you really find out what you're made of."
The Quakers hope to put this weekend's experiences to good use, as they face an important stretch of practice. In two weeks, the team will travel to Ithaca, N.Y., for the Indoor Heptagonal championships, the event that decides the Ivy League crown.
By facing Princeton and Cornell this weekend, the Quakers were able to get a taste of what they'll face up in Ithaca.
"Cornell and Princeton are our main competition in the league, no question about it," Tully said.
Nonetheless, Powell was quick to point out the unpredictable nature of championship meets. "Whenever championships come around, you always throw out the book," he said. "We did some great things this weekend, so hopefully it'll be a catalyst that carries us toward Heps."
PENN, Seventh place
60M -- 1. Drake (CMU) 6.74; 17. Oyebode (PENN) 7.20
200M -- 1. Terrel (PSU) 21.21; 11 Wedge (PENN) 22.16
400M -- 1. Terrel (PSU) 47.35; 16. Schovitz (PENN) 49.45
Mile -- 1. Miller (CMU) 4:09.79; 5. Hayes (PENN) 4:13.17
600M -- 1. D'Arcy (Mich) 1:19.40; 12 Budesa (PENN) 1:22.59
800M -- 1. Inge (Kent St.) 1:48.09; 5. Jaworski (PENN) 1:50.15
3000M -- 1. Wilkins (CMU) 8:14.32; 2. Tully (PENN) 8:14.72
5000M -- 1. Olinger (OSU) 14:15.51; 16. Foley (PENN) 15:02.08
60M Hurdles -- 1. Roberts (Kent St.) 7.94; 3. Wedge 8.06
4X400 Relay -- 1. PSU 3:13.41; 6. PENN 3:15.85
Distance Medley -- 1. Mich 9:29.79; 7. PENN 10:04.02
High Jump -- 1. Kring (Mich) 2.10M 9-10.75; 9 Hiatt (PENN) 1.86M 6-01.25
Pole Vault -- 1. Brousse (Pitt) 4.95M 16-02.75; 2. Wojdowski (PENN) 4.95M 16-02.75
Long Jump -- 1. Rickaby (Kent St.) 7.18M 23-06.75; 2. James (PENN) 6.52M 21-04.75
Triple Jump -- 1. Whitehead (Mich) 15.05M 49-04.50; 6. Daley (PENN) 13.05M 45-09.25
Shotput -- 1. Taylor (OSU) 19.88M 65-02.75; 6. King (PENN) 15.95M 52-04.00
Weight Throw 35lb -- 1. Taylor (OSU) 22.66M 74-04.25; 11. King (PENN) 15.81M 51-10.50
Team Rankings -- 1. Michigan (118); 7. PENN (44)
