Quakers led by Abram in sprints at PSU Invite

Despite the nerve-wracking competition resulting from competing against over 30 teams from across the Northeast, the Quakers recent record-setting pace is keeping the Penn men's track team at the top of the field. The Red and Blue had a number of strong finishes this past weekend at the Penn State National Invitational. After setting a new indoor record at last weekend's Terrier Classic, Penn senior Brian Abram still had a strong meet, qualifying with a fifth -place finish in the 60 meters. Abram went on to place eighth in the final heat with a time of 7.05. Abram secured a few other top ten finishes. In the 200m Abram crossed the finish line in a blisteringly fast 21.89 seconds -- eight-tenths off the first place finisher, taking seventh overall. He went on to take sixth place in the 400m in 48.34 seconds, while teammate Chris Edmonds grabbed seventh, three-hundredths of a second behind. Sam Burley, Stephen Hayes, Edmonds and Joseph Plevelich of the distance medley relay team brought home Penn's only first place finish of the invite. They dominated the field in 9:51.65, with the rest of the competitors at least three seconds behind. Unfortunately for the Quakers, this time was not fast enough to qualify them for nationals, which called for at least a time of 9:45. "We'll have a few more chances to break that. Though we wanted a faster time, I thought we ran well," Hayes said. "We're looking really strong for this early in the season. As long as we can pull in some good times now and get prepared for outdoor, I think we will be pleased." Hayes made reference to the Collegiate Challenge Cup in two weeks, when the competition will be much tougher. "With stronger teams I think we should be able to make that qualifying time." Hayes also competed in the 1000m race, where he led the Quakers with a twelfth place finish in 2:27.85. Sophomore Scott Sebens, though in a different heat, came in only seven-hundredths behind Hayes for a thirteenth-place finish -- extremely close given the length of the race. In one of the more endurance-dominated races -- the mile -- sophomore Nolan Tully finished tenth in 4:12.76. "The distance workouts we did more of at the beginning of the season are really starting to pay off," Tully said. "This was only the second race for many of us, so I am pretty pleased with how we did." After seeing the recent results of the distance runners, including senior Sam Burley's new record in the 800m last meet, the Quakers seem to be showing their strength in all events. Senior Mike George placed sixth in the pentathlon -- scoring 3417 points to lead the majority of competitors. "We know we can pull in some good times, which is definitely a good confidence builder," Plevelich said. "It's a good sign when we get decent results even with time off. Right now we're really looking forward to getting ready for Heptagonals." The Quakers take two weeks off until Valentine's Day, when they will travel to Penn State for the Collegiate Challenge Cup.

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