No preview, but some promises for Penn coach on Penn Relays

Penn men's track & field coach Charlie Powell isn't ready to show his hand - yet.

At yesterday's press conference, before he was even asked to reveal his team's lineup for the 116th running of the Penn Relays (which begin Thursday), Powell harkened back to the past for his answer, ultimately referencing a comical yet famous line he once heard during his opening statement.

"I think it might have been [legendary Arkansas track & field coach] John McDonald, who said something like, 'We'll show up there. We'll be there with all of our guys. And when we figure out who's going to be on the track, we'll let you know,' " joked Powell, now in his 27st season at Penn, 21st at the helm of the men's team.

"We're fighting through some slight injuries right now," Powell added. "But we should have a good 4 X 100-meter and the 4 X 400 as well. We'll also have a solid 4 X 800."

His team might be banged up, but judging by the way Powell beamed when talking about junior middle-distance runner Darryll Oliver and freshman hurdler Tim Carey, you get the feeling he still has a couple of aces in the deck.

"Darryll is a fantastic athlete," Powell said of Oliver, who posted the sixth fastest collegiate time in the nation in the 800-meter (1:48:41) back on April 3 at the Penn Invite. "He's one of the best half-milers in the country. He'll be in a couple relays. We're not sure which. He'll definitely anchor our 4 X 800 on Saturday. And on Friday we're not sure if he'll run the 4 X 400 or the distance medley."

Carey, a native of Washington Township, N.J., has impressed Powell seemingly from the outset of his young career. He currently holds the 24th-best time in the United States in the 400-meter hurdles (51:35), which he set, like Oliver, at the Penn Invite.

However, he might not compete in what is considered his best event.

"It's 50-50," Powell said. "We'd like to, but it's so early [Saturday morning]. He'll definitely run the 4 X 400 for us . . . He's running so well and we want to keep his confidence up."

As far as his expectations, Powell mentioned that he really would like to see his team run about 3:10:00 or 3:11:00 in the mile relay.

"That would be one of the top times in the East," Powell said. "We'd like to do that. Compared to the Texases, the LSUs and the Florida States, who run 3:03:00 or 3:04:00, it's not that fast. But out East, 3:10:00, 3:11:00 is getting it done. That's a very solid run."

So, do the Penn Relays ever get old for Powell? Even after 27 years?

Nope.

"It's not just a track meet," Powell said. "It's basically a celebration of track & field."

All the buzz is still about Usain Bolt after the world's fastest man declared last week that he would run in the Penn Relays. "Web traffic has been up three times what it was a year ago," said relays director Dave Johnson. "The energy has been tremendous" . . . Johnson advised fans to show up well before Bolt's 4 X 100 race for his native Jamaican team, tentatively set for 2:50 p.m. Saturday. "There's always a chance it could be shifted slightly, if ESPN wants to show it," Johnson said . . . Johnson did not have numbers regarding ticket sales, but did note that Saturday's crowd has a chance to break the 1-day record of 50,827, set in 2002.