Mano-a-Mano: What should we expect from Penn track for the rest of the year?

Penn’s track and field campaign this year has been dominated by headline-getters such as Sam Mattis and Thomas Awad, breaking school records despite the team getting flung all over the East Coast. But what should we expect from the Quakers for the rest of the season? Sports Editor Ian Wenik and Associate Sports Editor Colin Henderson discuss:

Sports Editor Ian Wenik: It’s tough to pin down specific expectations for the Red and Blue, considering just how big and diverse the team is, but if you’re going to force me to pick one event group, then I would have to say that people should expect bigger and better things from Penn’s relay teams in the coming weeks.

Consider Penn’s most recent relay performance at last week’s Sam Howell Invitational. The men’s 4x400-meter relay won with an impressive time of 3:16.74, a mark certainly aided by the presence of veteran sprinter Tom Timmins as the anchor leg. The women’s 4x400m relay team certainly did well in its own right, finishing in fifth place. I expect those strong performances to continue.

And you should expect big things from the 4x100m relay teams looking forward as well, as sprinters like Heather Bong and Brandon Senior get shuffled into coach Steve Dolan’s lineups.

Associate Sports Editor Colin Henderson: I completely agree with you, Ian. I really think that Penn’s relay teams have what it takes to put up some strong times as we approach some of the season’s biggest meets, especially the Penn Relays. Both the men’s and women’s sprint and middle-distance teams have a lot of speed and, more importantly, a lot of veteran leadership from seasoned competitors like Lydia Ali and Mato Bekelja.

But I also think that we would be remiss not to mention the throwers. They might not get as much shine as some of the runners, but they may be the standout athletes of the outdoor season thus far. I’m not sure that they have the depth to compete with some other Ivy throwing squads moving forward, but athletes like Sam Mattis, Jake Brenza and Nailah Hill could definitely make some noise as individuals.

IW: The throwers have been solid for sure, but I think that Penn’s best non-running event squad has been its jumpers. I mean, we all know how strong Maalik Reynolds has been as a high jumper, considering his All-American credentials, but he’s starting to get some company at the top. How about Thomas Pitt, who finished just .03 meters behind Reynolds last weekend? Or Noel Jancewicz, who’s quickly established herself as the top high jumper on the women’s team in her first outdoor season?

And I would be remiss to mention the long jumpers, who are starting to round into form as well. Junior Jenny Thompson came in eighth place last weekend in the triple jump, while Pitt can also certainly transfer his high jump talents to the sand pit.

CH: All are certainly valid points. I think it will be especially interesting to see how Reynolds, who underperformed at indoor Heps, and Jancewicz, who is still learning her role as a multi-event athletes, finish the season.

But I also think that it’s important to keep things in perspective. Penn is still a young and inexperienced squad. It is unreasonable to expect either the men or women to make a run at an Ivy title for at least another year or two. But if the younger athletes can gain some experience and some of Penn’s stars can flex their muscles toward the end of the year, coach Dolan has a lot to be excited about moving forward.