If the seven-plus hour drive to Raleigh, N.C., isn't enough to tire out the Penn men's track team, the two-day Adidas Raleigh Relays at NC State surely will.
The Quakers, ranked No. 39 nationally by TeamPower.org, will be matched against 110 schools -- from relative unknowns like Milligan College and Rowan, to rivals Princeton and Penn State.
As its name suggests, the Raleigh Relays puts an emphasis on relays. There are, however, the standard individual track and field events.
Last year's competition was marked by Penn's success in the field events. Then-freshman Adam Chubb tied a 21-year-old school high jump record with a height of 7'1/4" to finish third in the event.
Penn senior Tuan Wreh leapt his way to a fourth place finish in the triple jump. Wreh will compete on Saturday after crushing his triple jump opponents at the Quaker Invitational last weekend, outdistancing the runner-up -- Kutztown's Shaun Landis -- by nearly six feet.
Another favorite this weekend will be Penn sophomore Brian Chaput in the javelin. Last weekend, Chaput qualified for NCAAs with a throw 232'6" -- the second highest mark in Red and Blue history. Chaput will also compete tomorrow.
Penn junior Justin King will be the first of the Quakers to go head-to-head with some of the nation's top athtlets. The pressure will be heaped on King, as he is set to let his discus fly at 10:00 A.M. today in the first flight of the first event.
King is coming off a victory at the Quaker Invitational. He finished 13th at NC State last year with a toss of 150'7" -- his winning throw last weekend at 155'3" would have nudged him into 11th place in last year's Raleigh Relays.
In King's favor, however, is that his toss last weekend was done in preliminaries because of darkening skies. The fact that he could muster up a long throw without warming up and after sitting in the cold for hours makes the feat all the more impressive. With a few practice throws, then, King should fare well this morning.
Although, with the quality of competition -- one which might not be encountered again until the Penn Relays -- nothing is guaranteed.
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