W. X-C runs at Lafayette

"We should dominate. We should win it. We are going to kick some booty." Sounds pretty confident, huh. That was a quote from junior Jane Kim, regarding the Penn women's cross country team's 11 a.m. meet tomorrow at Lafayette. Kim believes that the Quakers can and should win tomorrow's meet. But Penn assistant coach Tony Tenisci has a different view. "It's going to be a tough meet," Tenisci said. "It's going to be very competitive." Penn is coming off a huge victory last weekend in the Rutgers Invitational. However, there are several factors that could lead to a letdown tomorrow. The Quakers are still without junior Caitlin Riley. Riley's specialty is track and the coaching staff does not want to jeopardize her whole year on one cross country meet. "Caitlin's [injury] is sort of a nagging, persistent irritation in her leg," Tenisci said. "We don't want to make it worse so we lose her for the year. We're holding it in check so she can recover." In addition, junior Bridget Ward, one of the Quakers' top runners, will miss the meet in Lafayette because of a previously scheduled geology field trip. The Quakers will need a complete team effort this weekend to overcome the loss of two of their top runners. "That's going to set us back a bit," junior co-captain Maggie Morrow said. "We're going to have to work a little harder to put our front pack together more tightly." "We're going to need a whole team effort," Tenisci said. "It's not like there is a big gaping hole because Bridgette and Caitlin aren't there. So, it is a responsibility for everyone to rise. I just hope they put in a really good effort and put in a serious meet. Whether you have the full contingent on the line or not, the next person has to move up into the next slot." Another factor the Quakers must deal with is the difficulty of the course. Having run on predominantly speed courses so far, the Penn runners now must switch to a more difficult cross-country course. The Lafayette course contains many hills and is grass, compared to the straight, gravel courses the Quakers have dealt with so far. "This is a very tough course," Tenisci said. "It is a true cross country course. It's a lot of climbing. It's big, wide-open running. This is a real challenging course, so it should be interesting for the girls." Besides the host Leopards, a much-improved Delaware team and Ursinus will be Penn's main competitors. "[Delaware is] going to give us a run," Tenisci said. "It's a big deal for them to beat an Ivy." Tomorrow's meet in Lafayette should be a solid tuneup to the all important Paul Short Invitational on October 9 that will feature many of the Ivies. It is the first step for the Quakers in their quest to reach the top of the Heps (the eight Ivies, Army, and Navy). "I think we have a fighting chance," Morrow said. "I mean it's going to be a hard fight, but I think if we put it all together we could do it." One thing the Quakers do not lack is confidence or ambition, however in order to win tomorrow it will require a whole team effort.

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