W.X.-Country takes JV on road

There is an odd combination of satisfaction and disappointment in the voice of Quaker women's cross country coach Betty Costanza. The satisfaction comes from a strong team effort at the Boston College Invitational last Saturday, where Penn's top four runners finished within four seconds of each other. "It was a great breakthrough," Costanza said. But the runners' individual times were still too slow to be competitive. Costanza wants her runners to be in the 18-minute range, rather than in the low 19-minute area. The runners executed their game plan to perfection in Boston. But it was only good enough for a seventh-place finish out of 20 schools. The Quakers simply couldn't run with the pure speed of Providence, Dartmouth and Boston College. Penn was the only squad to finish in the top 10 without placing a runner in the top 25 overall. The lack of a leader or front runner is cause for concern. Entering the season, that job looked to be split between senior co-captains Bridget Ward and Maggie Morrow. Ward has failed to live up to expectations. She finished a disappointing 66th at Boston, good for only sixth on the team. Morrow has been strong, but not dominant. Through three meets, Costanza has seen three different runners finish first for the Quakers. Morrow led the Quakers at Fordham, sophomore Michelle Belsley at Princeton and senior Jane Kim led the four-woman pack at Boston College. "Our problem is we have not been consistent. We'll have a runner in front one week and in the back the next week," Costanza said. Belsley has been Penn's most impressive runner. She finished fifth overall at Fordham and third at Princeton, before slipping to 40th in the competitive field last Saturday. Jane Kim knows what it takes to be No. 1. She fit that bill as a sophomore, when she usually finished at the front of the Quaker pack. But before Saturday, she seemed to have lost a step. Whether last week was a fluke or the beginning of reestablishing herself as No. 1 remains to be seen. "Jane or any of our top runners have the ability to be No. 1," Costanza said. "But whoever's going to be our No. 1 and No. 2 have to do it every week." The two runners most likely to step forward are Morrow and Belsley. Belsley, in just her first year of cross country, may not have the experience or endurance necessary to make it through the entire season. Morrow may be better suited for the job. Last year's most valuable player, she knows what it takes to win. If Morrow starts running at the level at which she is capable, then she, unlike Belsley, can pull the rest of the team up to her level. Costanza has given the varsity runners off for this weekend's action. The junior varsity squad will travel to Lafayette tomorrow in their place. The varsity team is now looking forward to next weekend's Paul Short Invitational at Lehigh, one of two remaining meets before postseason action begins. The Quakers are starting to run together as a team. All they need is a leader.