Some of the country's fastest runners will meet tomorrow at Franklin Field for the annual Penn Invitational. Nearly two dozen schools - including strong Ivy foes Cornell and Columbia - will compete.
On the women's side, Penn's four All-American runners - Jesse Carlin, Claire Kim, Stacy Kim and Shaunee Morgan - are top seeds in the events in which they will compete.
Carlin, who won All-American honors for her sixth-place finish in the indoor 800-meter finals of the NCAA Championships, will pass on tomorrow's 800m run, opting instead for the 400m dash.
"The goal is to build a base now, to double and triple up on some races, so we peak later in the spring," Carlin said.
"We had a really strong showing indoors," she added.
"Now there's more events outdoors, so now everyone's so much more in shape."
Last weekend, at the University of Maryland in College Park, the women's track team grabbed five first-place finishes and several other top fives. Carlin was quick to say, "we're looking for the same this week."
Charlie Powell, the men's coach, agreed that steady improvement is crucial.
"Working towards the big meets . it's really like a class with only one final," he said.
He added that his athletes are up to the challenge and have been preparing all year.
"We're a very solid team, and I think it's going to show," he said.
"There's only a few areas where we don't have people, such as the high jump, the hammer throw. But we have at least one or two people in every event who are good and solid."
Captain Tim Kaijala said events to watch tomorrow include those with Columbia's star miler, Liam Boylan-Pett. He recently boasted a time of 4:04.64, while two weeks ago Kaijala posted a 3:54.47.
"If he's here, it should be the clash of the titans in the mile," Kaijala said. "He should be out for blood, because we beat their 4x800m relay" at the Heptagonals Indoor Championships. Kaijala himself is the 1000m Heptagonals Champion.
As of the official schedule posted yesterday, Boylan-Pett is not slated to run the mile. But that listing may not be binding; Powell, for instance, hinted that he will change some of his entries.
The two runners could also meet in the 800m, in which Boylan-Pett is seeded No. 1 and Kaijala No. 2.
Tomorrow's events also offer opportunities for the Red and Blue's younger competitors.
"We've got a couple of freshmen distance runners who are really starting to step up," Kaijala said, citing the efforts of Luke Grau, Chris Baird and Anguel Tolev.
"The beginning is a chance to see what the freshmen can do and to get back into racing mode, learning to run on a big track again," he said.
Meanwhile, Powell is sanguine about Saturday's meet.
"We're just hoping for good weather," he said. "So much of what we do depends on that."
