M., w. track compete at Penn Relays

"There's nothing like running in front of 50,000 to 60,000 people at what may be the most famous track meet ever," junior sprinter Justin Reed said.

Reed is referring to his weekend participation in the Penn Relays at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, Pa. Reed and the rest of the men's and women's outdoor track and field teams joined hundreds of athletes from around the world in the 110th running of the event.

"The race atmosphere at Penn Relays is both exciting and chaotic," senior 400-meter hurdler Hasina Outtz said. "There is a lot of energy from the crowd and with the announcers and everything so it's easy to get psyched up."

The meet is held over a three-day period and usually draws as many as 100,000 spectators over the three days. The event gets its name from its most popular event , the four-person relays. For the Tigers, it was an opportunity to display their talent at an international level.

Reed and his 4x400m teammates, freshmen Brian Shields and Rich Stewart and junior Mike Kopp, were responsible for one of the most impressive Princeton performances of the weekend.

"It was our best time thus far this year and it just gives us more confidence as we prepare for Heps two weeks from now," Reed said.

The team won the 4x400m Heptagonal Divison Championship with a time of three minutes and 12.87 seconds. The Tigers finished over two seconds ahead of division rivals Cornell and Brown. The Heptagonal Division consists of the Ivy League track teams and has earned its own "championship" event in the Relays. The overall Heps outdoor championships will take place in two weeks and is the Tigers' main objective for the season. For Reed and his relay teammates, the Relays were an auspicious step in the right direction.

"With times consistently dropping for the team as a whole, I think we have placed ourselves in a good position to reclaim our Heps title so long as we stay focused," he said.

Other strong men's performances were provided by the Tigers' field competitors.

Senior Josh McCaughey took 10th in the Hammer Throw Championship with a 57.85m attempt.

Senior Tim Releford finished 13th in the Javelin Throw Championship. His 58.52m toss was the second best for Ivy League competitors. Freshman Andrew Park finished in sixth place in his first Relays in the Eastern Pole Vault event with a jump height of 4.6m. Sophomore teammate Kyle Whitaker took seventh in the same event.

The women's track and field team also came out of the weekend with several strong performances.

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The Tigers' relay team took 11th overall in the 4x800m Championship of America Relay, crossing the line with a time of 8:54.42. The team was the second highest Ivy League finisher in the event, just a few seconds behind 10th-place Yale.

The 4x1500m relay team had an equally impressive performance. Composed of senior Emily Kroshus, sophomores Meredith Lambert and Cack Ferrell and freshman Catha Mullen, the team took 10th place with a time of 18:08.24, seven seconds ahead of host Penn.

Princeton women also performed well in field events. Senior Chelo Canino finished tied for fifth in the Collegiate Pole Vault Championship. Junior Brook Minor also finished fifth in her event, the Easterns High Jump Championship.

The Tigers are optimistic as they head into the final few meets of the season.

"I think that the team has a great chance to be successful at Heps," Outtz said. "This is the deepest team that I have been on since coming to Princeton and we have the potential to score in a lot of different areas. We just need to stay healthy and get focused so that we will be 100 percent and ready to roll."