The Penn women's track team literally jumped to success over the weekend at the Terrier Classic in Boston, Mass. Top performances of the meet included Samantha Crook's 3.55 meter pole vault and Grace Maloney's 5'6" high jump, which was good enough for sixth and second place overall, respectively, in their individual events. After qualifying for the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference championships and getting the sixth highest pole vault overall, Crook was pleased with her performance. "We got to see two of the top girls in the league compete this weekend, one from Yale and one from Brown," Crook said. "Yale's pole vaulter is phenomenal, and it was fun to see where she stands at this point in the season." Penn's jumpers showed that they too are doing well so far this season. Close behind Crook in the pole vault were Ingrid Gustafson and Caroline Rebollo, both with a vault of 3.25 meters, good enough to tie for 10th place in the event. In the triple jump, Meghan Moran jumped 36'4" and got sixth among her competitors. Head coach Gwen Harris attributes their success to the goals they set for themselves. "We have goals. We try to attain our goals, whether they are distances to reach, teams to beat, or getting ready for Heps [Heptagonal Championships]," she said. Although faced with tough competition from Long Island University, Seton Hall and Wheaton, Harris said that the Quakers' sprinters also walked away satisfied. Penn's Izukanne Emeaqwali finished the 200 in 25.84 seconds and 20th overall while teammate Michelle Hart finished the 55 meter hurdles in 8.63 seconds and 12th overall. Charity Payne took sixth in her event with a shotput throw of 43 feet, just a few inches behind throwers from Vermont and Massachusetts. Penn's distance runners and throwers, who also faced stiff competition on the weekend, hope to see improvements as the season progresses. "The girls did well this weekend and I am satisfied with their performance," Harris said. "I don't want to get carried away though because I know they can improve even more." This weekend, they'll have their chance to improve at the Penn State National Meet.
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