M. Cross Country is still perfect

With a disappointing 13th-place finish at the IC4As last year, the men's cross country team is hoping to improve its record this season. The Quakers are undefeated in their first two meets after placing first at Navy and the Fordham Invitational. Penn will compete in the Paul Short Invitational at Lehigh next weekend, looking to beat No. 3 Georgetown, No. 8 Providence and ninth-ranked Penn State. "I think they are in great shape....They want to make something happen so they'll do a better job of staying healthy," coach Charlie Powell said. Last year the runners got burned out by the end of the season, however Powell is confident this year "they are a good, solid group." The top finisher for Penn at Fordham, coming in 10th overall, was senior co-captain Terry McLean, with a time of 26 minutes, 38 seconds. Brett Albert, co-captain Joe Hall and Matt Wilkinson finished 14th, 15th and 16th, respectively. Junior Al Symonette came in 34th overall to round out Penn's top-five finishers. The Quakers edged Princeton, Cornell and Edinboro. More than 400 runners representing 25 schools competed in the five-mile course. Due to the hot and humid weather conditions, the team was advised to stay toward the middle of the pack and not jump out ahead at the start of the race. Then they would be in position to pass other runners as they began to fade. By the three-mile mark, the competition started dropping and the top six Penn runners sprinted ahead. At the fourth mile, nicknamed "Cemetery Hill" because of its steep incline, Penn was able to dominate and take the lead. "We ran a good tight pack and that was the key point," Powell said. The split between the first finisher and the fifth finisher was 40 seconds. Keeping the group in a close, tight pack was a key factor in the team's success. The Quakers were satisfied but not elated with their finish because it is early in the season. When the championship is on the line the meets are much more meaningful. Penn has its sights set on the Heptagonals, where all eight Ivies and Navy compete, and the IC4As, which is the national's regional meet. The top runners for the Quakers this season are McLean, Albert, Hall, Wilkinson, Symonette and junior Kurt Sprowls. Powell is confident that the team "will do a lot better this year."