Men's track wins triple Triple Crown

If the men's track team had simply ended its season in early May, few would have questioned that this had been one of the finest squads in Princeton history. After all, it had been a year that saw sophomore Paul Morrison emerge as one of the best distance runners in the country and one that saw the Tigers achieve phenomenal success as a team.

For Princeton, however, there was still one more mountain to climb before the team could secure its place in history.

"Heps is the meet we define our season by," head coach Fred Samara said.

The Tiger men earned a Triple Crown by winning Heps in cross-country during the fall, indoor track during the winter and outdoor track during the spring. With its most recent victory, Princeton extended its streak to nine straight Heps titles, dating back to fall 1997.

Morrison and senior captain Mike Spence led cross-country to the Heps title Oct. 29 by finishing first and second overall, respectively. Morrison also finished eighth at NCAAs on Nov. 23, turning in one of the year's best performances by any Tiger in any sport. He was the top sophomore finisher in the entire nation.

Morrison was named The Daily Princetonian's Male Athlete of the Year for his exploits. For their showings at NCAAs, both Morrison and Spence earned All-America honors.

During the indoor track season, after some impressive showings during the regular season, captains junior Scott Denbo and senior John Mack helped power the team to victory at Heps, held in Hanover, N.H., Feb. 26-27. Denbo excelled in the shot put, while Mack was Princeton's best sprinter and a key member of a number of relay teams. Spence and Morrison added points in various distance events, while junior Jonathan Jessup was first in the pole vault, and freshman Javius Wynn claimed third in the 55-meter hurdles.

The Tigers carried over their momentum to the outdoor season. Princeton excelled in tune-ups for Heps, including the Princeton-Penn State-Penn-Villanova meet at Weaver Stadium on April 8, in which the Tigers finished second behind the Nittany Lions and the 106th Penn Relays in Philadelphia April 27-29.

But once again, Princeton saved its best showing of the season for the most important meet — Heps — which was also held in Philadelphia. The host Quakers were expected to challenge Princeton along with Brown, but the Tigers dominated the field, finishing with a score of 134 — 39 points ahead of runner-up Penn.

Denbo, Mack, Spence, Morrison and Jessup each starred again for Princeton while sophomore Ryan Smith and junior Dennis Norman also won events. The Tigers reasserted their Heps supremacy and established themselves as one of the great dynasties in the history of Ivy League track.

The future is bright for Princeton's men. Although the Tigers will lose Mack and other seniors, the Class of 2003 was strong this year and should significantly improve with another year of experience. Princeton should be a viable contender for a fourth straight Triple Crown next year.