W. X-Country wins Rutgers Invitational

Sometimes it takes a little motivation to push an athlete over the top. That motivation can come in many different forms. For junior Jane Kim of the Penn women's cross country team, it came in something she read in the DP. Upset about coach Betty Costanza's quotes that she might not have been running up to her potential, Kim ran with a vengeance Saturday and led the Quakers to victory in the Rutgers Invitational. Having finished third among her teammates in the first two meets, Kim exploded to finish first for Penn and second overall. "It upset me that [the coaches] had little faith in me and I felt like I had to prove myself," Kim said. Quaker assistant coach Tony Tenisci couldn't have been more happy with his runner's performance. "Jane responded to the article – it really pissed her off that she was not running to her potential. It really upset her and she really wanted to prove something," Tenisci said. "She finally came back to the level she is very capable of running at." All of the Penn runners, who had to compete without junior Caitlin Riley (due to a knee injury), improved over last year's best performance on the feared Buccleuch Park in New Brunswick, N.J. Each of the seven Penn runners finished in the top 20 overall. Kim ran the 3.1-mile course in 18 minutes 36 seconds. Junior Maggie Morrow finished fourth in 18:44, junior Bridget Ward took fifth (18:45), junior Jenee Anzelone came in ninth (19:26), sophomore Melanie Gesker finished 12th (19.43), junior Ann Erikson took 14th (19.54) and sophomore Mary Conway placed 20th (20.14). Overall the Quakers, with a final score of 32, clearly outran the six other schools in attendance. Rutgers, with a score of 50, was Penn's lone competitor, while the other five schools finished far behind. However, some of the Quakers did have trouble on the fast, double-loop course. In addition, the race was run mainly on grass last year, whereas it was switched to a predominantly gravelled course on Saturday, causing some of the Quakers difficulty. "It had a lot of sharp turns and it made passing really difficult," Ward said. "I think I could have run a little better." "It's difficult on your mind, because you get around it once and you realize that you've got to go around again," Tenisci said. "That sort of wears you out." Penn had not won the Rutgers Invitational since 1990, the year the Quakers were nationally-ranked and featured all-American Chris Lundy. Consequently, the coaching staff was pleased. "The team is running very nicely, particularly the top group," Tenisci said. "We were very happy with this [performance] and we hope that we can continue to get better and close the gap up a little bit more. One through three are very close and we need four and five to close it up a bit more." Penn runners feel that it is at a turning point in the year and needs to continue to run competitively to reach its goals. Kim feels that one of the main things the team is really shooting for is a shot at the top teams in the Ivies. "A major goal for all of us right now – a very solidified goal – is to beat Princeton, and that's what we're heading our sights for," Kim said. With just one meet remaining before the Paul Short Invitational on October 9 – a meet that will give the Quakers a fair estimation of their chances at taking the Heps title (the eight Ivies, Army, and Navy) – Penn has its work cut out for it. But if Saturday's performance was legitimate, the Quakers are well on their way to reaching their goals for the season.