"The time they ran was phenomenal," said junior Margaret Schotte, the 3000-meter winner. "Just looking at that, if they can run that well after a week of hard training, the relay is going to be fantastic for the rest of the year."

The men lost to Rice 66-47 in the Meeting of the Minds but also benefited from the work.

"It was pretty nice," said junior Scott Muoio. "The weather was great. Everyone ran a lot, and everyone ran fast. The team did a lot of partying--except for me."

Muoio finished second in the 3000-meter steeplechase with a time of 9:22.14.

"I ran four seconds off my best of last year, so I'm in just as good shape as last year, probably better," Muoio said. "By the end of season, I'll probably be under nine minutes."

Muoio is also encouraged for the team's prospects this season. "We looked pretty good, and I think a lot of people are more excited than have been last few years, which is the most important thing."

Senior Kevin Johnson finished second in the 100-meter dash, and junior co-captain Joe Ciollo was third in the 200-meter and fourth in the 400-meter. Freshmen Chris Clever, Arthur Furguson and Tarek Himid won the javelin, triple jump and hammer throw, respectively.

The track team's break wasn't so different from everyone else's. The runners went to a warmer place, got tan while spending time in the sun, and came back happy. They just got a lot more exercise than the beach-bum set.