Penn senior Tim Kaijala remembers track coach Charlie Powell sending him out on the last day of the Penn Relays four years ago. Kaijala was to be the anchor of the Quakers' 4x800-meter team.
"It was the most nervous I've been in my whole life," he recalled after this year's Relays.
Despite those nerves, he didn't disappoint, as Penn finished fourth in the event - the best he would ever finish in four years wearing Red and Blue.
Four years later, Kaijala is still running the anchor leg of the 4x800m, and the nerves are still there.
"Just being in that stadium, hearing the roar of the crowd, being around some of the best runners in the world . it's always overwhelming," he said.
The team finished sixth (of 13) this year, but Kaijala still felt the weekend was a successful one for the Quakers, calling it a "step up" from last year's Relays. He was also pleased with his own performance - his anchor leg of 1:50.2, which brought Penn from eighth to sixth.
Columbia finished third, and was the only Ivy ahead of Penn.
More than just results, though, Kaijala felt the 4x800 was a harbinger for the future: the team has one runner from each class.
"After I graduate, I'd like to stay involved and help out, so I was really excited to see the future of the team and see them step up like that," Kaijala said.
Women break Ivy record
The Penn women's Distance Medley Relay team of Jesse Carlin, Shaunee Morgan, Claire Kim and Stacy Kim finished with a time of 11:08.83, breaking the previous Ivy record of 11:13.01 set by Cornell last year.
The Quakers finished sixth. Michigan won with a time of 10:49.58. Tennessee, Stanford, Georgetown and North Carolina rounded out the top five.
Penn's 4x800m team also had an excellent finish, coming fifth in the Championship of America.
Carlin and the Kims were joined by Anna Aagenes for that event. Stacy Kim started off with a 2:10.4, Aagenes ran a 2:11.5, Claire Kim a 2:14.2. The anchor leg belonged to Carlin, who finished with a 2:07.6.
On a more disappointing note for the Quakers, their Sprint Medley team was in position to finish second in the Championship of America but was later disqualified due to an illegal handoff between Halloran Cope and Laura McDaniel after the first leg.
