M. track takes second at home invite

After winning nearly half of the events at a track meet, a team usually expects to take home the overall title. The men's track team did just that, by winning eight of 19 events Saturday at the Princeton-Penn-Penn State-Villanova meet at Weaver Stadium. The Tigers proved they are a regional powerhouse that can compete at the highest level.

But in the end, the Tigers came up short in the final team standings to the Nittany Lions, perennial national contenders. Penn State scored 205 points to barely beat out Princeton's 195. The Tigers did, however, beat the Quakers (169) and the Wildcats (83).

"We had tremendous performances all around," senior sprinter Paul Elcock said. "It looks like things are really shaping up for the outdoor season."

Team effort

Princeton got outstanding results from all members of the team. Sprinters, distance runners, throwers and jumpers all contributed to the Tigers' solid showing. Princeton won the first three running events of the meet as its fans slowly settled in their seats.

The 3000-meter steeplechase — the first event outside of the field — was an excellent opportunity for the Tiger distance runners to excel. Seniors Mike Spence and Chris Banks settled into third and fourth place, respectively, for the first four laps around the track. As Penn State's Andy Jenkins dropped behind, Spence and Banks moved up to second and third, but still lagged behind Penn's Sean MacMillan with just two laps to go. But Spence — a senior who has been a cornerstone of cross country and track for four years — refused to lose. He simply had more than MacMillan down the stretch and passed the Quaker with about a lap and a half to go. Spence then cruised ahead of MacMillan to take first place in the race, clocking in at nine minutes, 0.7 seconds.

Next came the 4x100 relay. As the crowd grew louder, Princeton — led by senior captain John Mack and freshman Cameron Atkinson — started quickly and held on to the lead, finishing in first place with a time of 40.98.

Marquis performance

The most exciting event of the meet was definitely the 1500. Princeton's best hope in the race was sophomore phenom Paul Morrison, but freshman Bruce Hancock led after the first few laps. As Hancock fell behind, a large clump of runners jousted for position, with Penn State's Steven Walsh claiming first place. Morrison, however, was not to be denied.

The eyes of everyone in the stands were on Walsh and other runners closely behind him in the final lap as Morrison appeared to come out of nowhere into the pack. He kicked into high gear and willed himself into second place behind Walsh as the finish line rapidly approached. As the cheers of the spectators grew louder, he continued to gain on Walsh and passed the Nittany Lion just before the finish line, timing in at 3:53.10.

The Tigers still weren't done in the running events. Mack once again showed his prowess in both the 200 and the 400, cruising to relatively easy wins in the first heat of both and posting times of 21.32 and 46.97 — good for first place overall in both events.

But the runners weren't the only Princeton athletes to excel on Saturday. Two of the most reliable performers for the Tigers — junior captain Scott Denbo and junior Jonathan Jessup — won field events at the meet. Denbo won the shot put by over six feet by throwing 60 feet, three inches. Jessup pole vaulted 16—0.75 to take first.

Although Princeton might not have won the overall title, the Tigers proved they could push national contenders to the limit and took another step toward establishing themselves as one of the best teams in the East.