The Penn track and field team is back from the 2004 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships on the campus of the University of Texas. The event lasted from June 9-12.
It was a close race on the women's side while the men provided just as much excitement. UCLA captured the women's team title while Arkansas took home the men's team title.
Penn sent four athletes to the event: Courtney Jaworski , Emily Logan, Brian Chaput and Neal Wojdowski.
Penn senior Emily Logan competed in her second NCAA Championships for the women's team on last Saturday evening. The East Walpole, Mass. native took 21st in the 5,000 meter run.
Logan qualified for the National Championships after placing fifth at the East Regionals just two weeks ago. Logan broke her own school record at the meet with a time of 16:24.53.
Logan, the school's all time record holder in the event, crossed the finish line in a time of 17:26.76.
Kim Smith of Providence won the event as she set a new stadium record.
Logan's performance caps off a remarkable senior campaign. Logan led the cross country team to their best finish in 10 years at the Heptagonal Championships (sixth) as well as a remarkable sixth-place showing at NCAA Regionals.
She won the 3,000 meters at the Indoor ECAC Championships and ran the anchor leg of the winning distance medley relay team which set a new school record and provisionally qualified for the NCAAs.
Logan went on to earn All-American honors after finishing 14th in the 3,000 meters race at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Arkansas in March.
Logan also holds the school record in the 3,000 meters, the 4x1500 meter relay and the distance medley relay.
Penn's male track and field star, Brian Chaput, placed second in the javelin at the championships.
Chaput's throw of 256-02 was the defending national champion's best throw of the season.
He threw 254-09 on April 13 at the Spec Town Invitational in Atlanta, Ga.
Gabriel Wallin, a junior from Boise State, launched the javelin 264-09 to win his first National title.
Like Logan, Chaput's performance at the NCAA championships caps a remarkable career at Penn. He is a two-time Penn Relays Champion, three-time Heptagonal Champion, IC4As Champion and two-time NCAA East Regional Champion.
Chaput won the NCAA javelin title last season with a throw of 258'2".
Chaput is also an outstanding student.
He was named CoSIDA Academic All-District and Mondo Outdoor Athlete of the Year for the Mid-Atlantic Region this season. He is a two-time Academic All-District II award winner and went on to be named Academic All-American last season.
Those that were unable to witness the event will have a second chance.
CBS will air highlights of the NCAA Championships on this saturday, June 19 at 4 p.m. EST.
Chaput, however, must concentrate his efforts now on another important performance.
The three-time All-Ivy League selection and two-time Academic All-Ivy League honoree will now compete for a bid to 2004 Olympic games in Athens, Greece.
The Olympic Trials will be held July 9-18 in Sacramento, Calif.
No matter what happens, Chaput leaves Penn as one of its most outstanding athletes.
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