This year's Penn Relays will have over 22,000 participants and, as always, will be one of the most prestigious track and field events in the country.
The Penn women's track and field team sees the event as an opportunity to gain valuable experience racing against top opponents and competing in front of large crowds.
The team's ultimate goal, however, is to have a strong showing at the Heptagonal Championships May 8 and 9. In some respects, the Penn Relays are a precursor to that event.
"Our goals are to perform well at Heps," Penn women's track and field coach Gwen Harris said. "And this helps us get ready for that.
"We can race with quality people and get ready for Heps."
One Penn athlete who already has experience running against strong competition is senior All-American Emily Logan, who ran the 3000-meter run at the NCAA Indoor National Championships.
At the Penn Relays, Logan will be anchoring the distance medley relay, which Harris expects to be the Red and Blue's strongest team.
Harris has no concerns that Logan will be nervous racing in such a big event.
"Emily has a good understanding of it since she ran at the NCAA Championships," she said.
While Logan is certainly the veteran, many of her teammates are still wet behind the ears. This year, however, there will be more opportunities for them to race.
"We are going to run a lot more relays this year, and the team is really excited about that," Harris said. "The team is really starting to progress and get a lot better."
In addition to the distance medley relays, Penn will compete in the 4x100m, 4x400m and possibly the 4x200m or a sprint medley relay.
Harris believes that running these races will "put us in a position where everybody is trying to get a better time."
In other events, the Quakers hope the relays will provide valuable experience for their talented youth.
Freshman Catrina Chisholm, who Harris estimates is "our best field athlete," will be throwing hammer, while sophomore Charity Payne will compete in the shot put.
A veteran presence on the field will be senior Kai Ivory, who will be throwing javelin.
All in all, the Penn women's track team will be competing with an eye toward the future, as its ultimate goal of performing well at the Heptagonal Championships still awaits.
