M. Track welcomes tough Tigers squad

Don't tell Penn thrower Kyle Turley that the upcoming battle between the Penn and Princeton track teams is similar to the battle of David and Goliath. Although the Tigers have built a track powerhouse and are heavily favored coming into the meet on Saturday, the Penn throwers have an advantage over Princeton, according to Turley. "It should be about an even match-up except we're bigger and better looking," he said. All kidding aside, the Penn men's track team must perform up to its potential if the Quakers are going to compete with the defending Heptagonal champions at Franklin Field. "It's tough to win as a team against a team that is so good," Penn assistant coach Nathan Taylor said. "That doesn't mean that guys aren't going to try -- we have a chance to score in some events and to make it respectable." Unfortunately, when the Quakers take the field, they will not have their full arsenal at their disposal. Penn captain Dan Nord injured his hamstring in practice this week and he will probably be missing in action for at least the two weeks until the Penn Relays. Joining Nord as a spectator for the upcoming meet will be Penn junior distance-runner Scott Clayton, who is out for the remainder of the season. On the bright side, Penn junior Sean MacMillan might return to competition from his ankle injury to aid a hurting distance team. The sprinters will have a tough time against the Tigers sprinting corps when they face the Heps champions in the 100- and 200-meter races. Penn sophomore Mike Aguilar will run the 400-meter high hurdles for the first time this spring, which should give the team a lift. While Penn is outmatched in the majority of the track events, it should be more competitive in the field events, but even those could prove to be an uphill battle for the Quakers. "Princeton has got one of the strongest teams that has ever been put together in this league," Penn coach Charles Powell said. "I don't know if anyone in the league can match up anywhere." Princeton is very tough in all four of the throwing events but Penn should come away with some points. Perhaps the strongest event for the Quakers will be the pole vault, where five of the 10 vaulters that have cleared 16' in the East will be competing for the Red and Blue. In hopes of scoring some points, Penn senior Stan Anderson will compete in the long jump for the first time in four months as a replacement for Nord. The Quakers will also look to Anderson for badly needed points in the triple jump and the high jump. The athletes know they have their work cut out for them, but they are still going to try their hardest to compete with their rivals. "It's a daunting task," Powell said. "You compete to the best of your ability [and] that's what track and field is all about."

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