Franklin Field and Palo Alto, Calif. are separated by 2,920 miles -- the distance between the Penn track team's two meets this weekend.
But for the athletes, no matter where they were competing, it was good to finally be outside.
On a beautiful Saturday afternoon at Franklin Field both the men's and women's team came out ready to go for the Quaker Invitational and performed in a dominant fashion.
Senior Courtney Jaworski was the first of three Quakers to cross the finish line in a clean 1-2-3 sweep of the 1500 meters. Jaworski finished with a fast time of 3:53, but freshman Tim Kaijala and senior Scott Sebens were right behind him, both finishing within two seconds of Jaworski.
Senior Stephen Hayes took the top prize in the 5,000m winning in a time of 14:55. Hayes and the other Penn distance runners finished out the winter season with a bang, and seem to have held on to their momentum coming into the spring. Sophomores Mike LaQuaglia and Ian Foley took second and third, respectively, in the 10,000m. LaQuaglia finished with a time of 31:08.
In the most entertaining event of the spring season, the 3,000m steeplechase, Penn dominated the top two spots. Brady Ferguson won the event in 9:51 while rookie Alejandro Shepard took second in 9:58. Shepard had been hindered by injuries during the winter but bounced back to have an impressive run.
However, Penn's dominance did not stop on the track.
In the field events, junior Jay Hiatt won the high jump, leaping to six feet two inches. Senior Jesse Shoemaker took the pole vault event soaring to 12 feet 11.5 inches.
The Quakers women also had a great day -- most notably senior captain Izu Emeagwali and freshman standout Jesse Carlin. Both won their individual events and were members of the winning 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams. Emeagwali took the top spot in the 400m in a time of 58.18 seconds, while Carlin claimed the 200m run in 26.13 seconds.
"I am very happy, and am excited to see how this outdoor season will turn out," Emeagwali said.
The 4x100m relay team of Carlin, Emeagwali and sophomores Shaunee Morgan and Krysta Copeland finished with a time of 47.05 seconds. The same quartet teamed up for the victory in the 4x400 as well finishing in a time of 3:52.
Other Quakers women taking top honors in their events were sophomores Tina Morrison in the 1500m, Christina Chisholm in the shot put, Shani Boston in the long jump and Jeanette Curtis in the 100m high hurdles. Rookie Claire Kim continues to be one of the team's young stars, earning a victory in the 5,000m and the 10th fastest time in Penn history.
While some of the athletes were competing only blocks away from home, others were time zones away at the Stanford Track and Field Invitational.
Freshman Kyle Calvo came in fifth in the decathlon, but most notably, cracked the Quakers' all-time top-10 list with 6,519 points.
Nolan Tully finished fourth in his section of the 5,000m, while Neil Wojdowski came in fifth in the pole vault.
The Quakers will be back in action next week as they travel to the Maryland Invitational.
