Just as with any high-intensity activity, a break for rest is needed to obtain optimal performance in the end. Though the eighth-place finish at this weekend's College Challenge Cup at Penn State did not represent Penn's top performances of the year, the team is looking toward the Heptagonal Championships. "I think many of us are going to reevaluate our performances and realize that we need to put more heart on the line if we expect to do well at [Heptagonals]," sophomore Neal Wojdowski said. Though the team was not pleased with its final results, it was headed in a promising direction after day one. Through a few top-ten finishes, the Quakers moved up to eighth place from their 11th-place seed heading into the meet and ended that way on day two. The sprint duo of senior Brian Abram and junior Chris Edmonds led the team, garnering fourth and fifth place finishes in the 400-meter run. They finished on each other's heels in 47.92 seconds and 47.97, respectively. Sophomores Stephen Hayes and Chris Carter brought in a few more points for the team. Hayes raced through the mile to a fourth-place finish in 4:13.47 in a highly competitive field. Carter placed fifth in the 600 in 1:20.56. "We definitely had a few great performances, but overall I think we were a bit flat," Hayes said. "We had a few with the flu and a few who were a bit run down from some intense distance training." The team didn't record its best times of the season, but certainly proved it will be tough competitors heading into Heptagonals on March 1. Whether some of Penn's runners were off or not, the sophomores were able to show off their preparedness and hunger to contribute to the team score. Sophomore Joe Plevelich pulled in a ninth-place finish in the 800 in 1:52.77, while Nolan Tully also placed ninth in his 3000 meter race, finishing in 8:21.20. Wojdowski, meanwhile vaulted 4.80 meters (15-feet-9) to earn him tenth place in what was a highly competitive field. "I had a few great jumps, which will qualify me for IC4As," said Wojdowski of the intercollegiate meet drawing runners from all over the northeast. "But, ultimately my goal is to jump 4.95, which will keep me amongst the top competitors in Heptagonals." Wojdowski, like Hayes, felt the team had several disappointing performances. However, he felt this was mainly due to the teams mental outlook heading into Penn State. "I don't feel this meet represents all that Penn track is and can be," Wojdowski said. "The team overall didn't show as much will and desire to place well as we had in previous meets." On March 1 the Quakers head to Dartmouth for Heptagonals, where they will face the toughest competition they will encounter all year. Wojdowski feels the Quakers should be ready if they really focus for the next two weeks. "It's all about who has the heart and the guts," Wojdowsi said. "Once you see this come out, we will see a lot of great performances."
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