Last week's personal best wasn't enough for Tim Kaijala.
At the Penn State National Invitational, Kaijala won the 1000 meters, setting a new personal best in the process. This weekend at the Giegengack Invitational, though, he will be looking for success in a different event.
"He's going to run the 800 this weekend and try to break in a good time there," men's coach Charlie Powell said.
The Giegengack Invitational, hosted by the Elis for the second year in a row, expects to be one of the premier showcases for a dozen of the top track and field programs in the country, and the Penn teams anticipate being among the best.
Both men and women's teams look to improve on their successes last weekend, especially in the mid-distance events, where Kaijala is considered to be one of the top competitors.
Powell believes that Kaijala has the potential to run an NCAA qualifying time if the race moves fast enough.
Women's captain Tina Morrison could also fight for an NCAA qualifying mark.
Junior Jesse Carlin already notched one herself -- a 2:08.61 800m at Penn State - and is aiming for another strong performance.
"We're looking to improve on what we've already done," women's coach Gwen Harris said. "We're hoping that all the events will be very competitive."
Given the field and variety of schools at the Yale Invitational, Harris shouldn't be disappointed.
Georgetown, who also preformed well in the men and women's fields at the Penn State, will look to continue its strong early season results in New Haven.
Boston College's Kristen Coon and the Hoyas' twosome of Matt DeBole and Levi Miller should also present a formidable challenge to Penn's presence.
But for Powell, this meet is just another step in the long road towards the Heptagonal Championships.
"The way our sport works is we compete then have a few weeks of really heavy training, then back off and compete again."
Sports Editor Krista Hutz contributed to this report.
