SEASON PREVIEW: M. X-C on magical mystery tour

On this "magical mystery tour" you won't find John, Ringo, or Paul – and very little twisting and shouting. Instead, the Penn men's cross-country season is more of a voyage of self-discovery. Coach Charlie Powell and assistant coach Nathan Taylor have christened the season after the Beatles album because they feel the team needs to "find out where they are." "The team's success may rise and fall on a few individuals," Powell said. Since the scoring for cross-country meets is based on the places of the five best finishers on the team, it will take more than the stellar efforts of junior co-captains Terry McLean and Joe Hall for the team to take a shot at the Ivy title. Because McLean and Hall consistently place in the top of the field, the individuals crucial to the team's finish are the balance of the squad. Unlike many quality teams such as archrival Cornell, Penn does not have as much depth. "We're just thin, we don't have 10 or 12 really good runners or speed," Powell said. The group that will try to close the gap behind the captains is promising – but untested. Powell praised freshman standout Matt Wilkinson, sophomore transfer Jack McMullen from Notre Dame and sophomore contenders Alvarez Symnonette, Bill Murphy and John Blouin as having "done an outstanding job getting ready for the season." The team's strategy is to gear for the end of the season, specifically Heps and the IC4As. The captains well remember these meets as they led the team last year to a seventh place finish in the District Championships and set personal records at the Heptagonals. Last year Hall came within four seconds of entering national competition. · Last Saturday at Navy the Quakers kicked off their season by defeating Maryland, Delaware, and Mt. St. Mary's to finish second behind the Midshipmen. Although Hall and McLean described the team as tired from the intensive training that ranged between 70 and 90 miles each week before the meet, Penn's five best times were all within the top 15 with strong second- and third-place finishes from McLean and Hall. Heading into tomorrow's Spike Shoe Invitational at Penn State, the Quakers plan to place Hall and McLean in the top 10 amidst runners from the nationally-ranked host squad. Although Penn will be missing top sophomore Tove Christiansen due to a stress fracture injury, the team is aiming towards consolidating its efforts and gaining experience. "It's a fast course and gives early season confidence," senior Joe Tansy said. Both Powell and McLean described the team as young but Powell summed it up best when he said "they are all outstanding workers, tough as hell." And there is nothing magical or mysterious about that.