W. X-C has tuneup at Rutgers

Imagine the Phillies taking a day off after beating the Braves and before going to Toronto and going to play their minor league affiliate. Seems kind of odd, huh. Well, essentially the Penn women's cross country team is doing just that. Smack in the middle of their three biggest meets of the year, the Quakers are heading off to Rutgers tomorrow. Coming off a satisfactory finish of 16 out of 32 in last weekend's all-important Paul Short Invitational, the Quakers have their eyes set on the Heptagonals (October 29), the ECAC Championships (November 12-13), and the NCAA Championships (November 22). The Quakers have proved that they are able to hold their own among teams that comprise Heps and, excluding Cornell, they feel they are the best team. And, with a loss to Heps rival Navy fresh in their minds they are primed for vindication. "We're really geared up for Heps," junior runner Jane Kim said. "[The Rutgers meet] is really something that can bring us together for the next three meets." Since an injury has claimed junior Tracie Johnson, who was the co-most valuable runner in cross country last year, the remaining Quakers each have had to turn it up a notch. Junior co-captain Maggie Morrow has been the backbone of the team all year. She is consistently finishing in one of the top two spots among the Penn runners and and usually is close to the top overall. Junior Bridget Ward has really come into her own this year and usually places second. Kim's year has been one big roller-coaster ride. One day she will blow away the competition, and the next day she'll lose focus. However, after starting the year on a down note, Kim exploded at Rutgers on September 25 and ran first among the Quakers. Tomorrow she will return to Rutgers and hopes the friendly confines of New Brunswick, N.J. will treat her and the team kindly. "We're definitely going to start running together as a team and become more unified," Kim said. Juniors Jenee Anzelone and Caitlin Riley, whose specialties are the middle distances, and sophomore Mary Conway have combined to fill out the rest of the Penn runners who finish in the top five. Riley has been hampered with leg injuries and was very disappointing in last week's Paul Short Invitational. Tomorrow's tune-up in Rutgers should give the Quakers a realistic prognosis on their outlook for the rest of the season.