Kim is ready to run again

There is something to be said for the value of competition, which can provide experience no amount of practice can duplicate. That makes Penn women's cross country coach Betty Costanza's decision to give the varsity squad the day off last Saturday, instead of running in the Lafayette Invitational, very unorthodox. The Quakers will now enter the ultra-competitive Paul Short Invitational at Lehigh, having not raced in two weeks. Penn looked sharp two weeks ago at Boston College, where the top four runners -- seniors Jane Kim, Maggie Morrow and Jenee Anzelone and sophomore Michelle Belsley -- finished within three seconds of each other. The tight pack secured a strong seventh place for the Quakers in the 20-team field. Kim had by far her strongest race of the year, bringing back memories of her sophomore year, when she was Penn's dominant runner. The pressures of being the ace got to Kim, as she slid down to the middle of the pack in her junior year. Two of her classmates, Morrow and Bridget Ward, flip-flopped between No. 1 and No. 2 throughout the season, leaving Kim in the cold. Coming off their impressive years, the two were named co-captains for this season. With every race, Kim seemed to fade deeper into the background. The coaches began to forget about her one-time dominance, as she slid to sixth on the depth chart. Assistant coach Cricket Batz Shackley did not hesitate in naming the team's top two runners after the first meet of this year -- "Maggie and Bridget." Costanza, after the second meet, called Morrow, Anzelone and senior Caitlin Riley her "top guns." She also added that Ward would jump into that category when she got in "tip-tip shape." But running is a sport based primarily on natural ability. Let's face it, Carl Lewis and Florence Griffith-Joyner were born fast. So where did Kim's blazing speed go? That's hard to say. But, according to the coaches, all that matters is it's back. With Ward running well below expectations, and Riley struggling to get into high gear, it was clear someone was going to have to step up. Like a true veteran, Kim came through. Not only did she have a strong individual performance, but she also acted as the glue holding the Quaker pack together, something the team had not been all season. Costanza now says "Jane can be our No. 1." The Quakers still need Ward and Riley to step it up. Maybe the week off will help. But right now, the team's main problem is inconsistency. They have had a different runner finish in first in all four of their meets. It is unlikely Kim will be able to establish herself as Penn's top runner again. But, at the least, she should serve as a model for Penn's other fallen star -- Bridget Ward.