Penn track and field preps for biggest meet of year

The wait is finally over.

After almost a full season of preparation, Penn track and field will take on their Ivy foes in this weekend’s indoor Heptagonal Championships , hosted by Dartmouth.

The Quakers will field their men’s and women’s “A-teams,” filling out their 33 allotted slots on each side with their top athletes across most events.

With two relatively young and inexperienced squads, Penn’s 66 total participants run the gamut from young up-and-comers like freshman long-distance runner Cleo Whiting , to perennial All-Ivy contenders like senior high jumper Maalik Reynolds .

As one might expect, coach Steve Dolan has significantly different expectations for his athletes to match their wide variety of experience levels.

“Some people are fighting to get into the finals, and some people are trying to win Heps titles,” he said.

But experience isn’t the only factor affecting the program’s expectations of its athletes.

The different event groups feature drastically different levels of competition within the Ivy League. For example, the Ivies feature one of the most competitive men’s 1-mile races in the country.

“You’re probably going to have to run under 4:05 to score,” high jump coach Joe Klim said. “It’s insane.”

But regardless of these variables, Penn track and field is ultimately rebuilding. As such, Dolan has taken a pragmatic approach toward formulating his overall expectations for Heptagonals.

“It’s going to probably take us some time to get up with the top teams in the league,” he said.

“We’re more interested in how well we compete relative to where we are, and in which events some of our stars can show up.”

Dolan may be approaching this weekend as he has every other weekend all year, but it would be naïve to say that the Heptagonal Championships are just any other meet.

For Penn freshmen, this will be their first performance on Ivy track and field’s biggest stage. More experienced athletes have encouraged them to keep their approaches simple.

“We just like to let them know to just go out there, compete, and represent Penn,” sophomore sprinter Tim Hamlett said.

Additionally, the Quakers have prepared all season for this meet, tapering their training in recent weeks to enter Heptagonals in top form.

“You train to peak at Heps, and that’s the main goal,” Hamlett said.

As a result, Penn’s athletes will need to deal with the additional pressure of performing at their maximum potential.

Furthermore, several of Penn’s elite athletes - like Hamlett, who will compete in the open 500 meter dash and in relays - will need to adjust their approaches to the weekend’s events.

“[I’m] looking to score points and not necessarily run for time,” Hamlett said. “So it’s different in that sense.”

This weekend presents the Quakers with several notable conflicts between individual development and team achievement, and a consistent approach and new expectations.

Dolan understands these conflicts better than anybody, but has pushed past them to get his team to focus on the meet itself.

“When you get the eight schools together from the high league, the intensity’s high,” he said.

“You can either be nervous about the pressure, or you can embrace it and bring out greatness.”

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