W. X-C dominates Rutgers

While the Penn student body was relieving its stress over midterms, the women's cross country team had a test of its own. It passed. The Quakers ran against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights last Saturday. The results were quite impressive. Penn dominated Rutgers 21 to 34. The Quakers had five of the top seven runners and nine out of the top 12. Juniors Bridget Ward and Maggie Morrow, models of consistency and excellence all season, finished first and second respectively. Ward ran in 18 minutes and 24 seconds and Morrow came in at 18:29. Juniors Jane Kim (19:11), Caitlin Riley (19:19), and Jenee Anzelone (19:22) placed fifth, sixth and seventh respectively. Only one Rutgers runner finished next before four more Quakers crossed the finish line – sophomore Melanie Gesker, juniors Ann Erikson and Heather McGrath and sophomore Mary Lourdes Conway. Penn now has its first weekend off since the season started. It will definitely need it in preparation for three huge meets – the Heptagonals on October 29, the ECAC Championships on November 12-13, and to close out the year, the NCAA Championships on November 22. The Quakers hope this time off will help them clear up nagging injuries and work on their mental toughness. Penn has finished its toughest workouts and has stopped lifting weights in preparation for the upcoming meets. "I think [the rest] will be good for all of us," Ward said. "Most of the team has been racing every weekend so this is a much needed rest and it will enable us to clear our heads for Heps." All three meets will be large and some Quakers had said they were overcome by the size of the Paul Short Invitational two weeks ago. The Quakers have performed well this year and worked exceptionally hard. However, they will encounter no more tune-ups like the one this past weekend. "I think everybody ran well this weekend," Erikson said. "Hopefully if everyone has a good day [at Heps] we'll do well." Even though they have no seniors, the Quakers have come together as a team and should be focused for the big meets coming up. If Saturday's success is a realistic indication, only good things lie ahead.