Morrow hopes to finally win a Heps title

Those willing to make the trek to New York's Van Cortlandt Park today will witness the end of an era in Penn women's cross country history. At the Heptagonal Championships, the climax of the cross country calendar, senior Maggie Morrow will race in the final Ivy League meet of her brilliant career, hoping to bring home the team's first championship in four years. But in order to fully appreciate her achievements, one must understand the position which was forced upon her. As a freshman, Morrow looked up to then-senior Chris Lundy, the greatest distance runner in Penn history. Lundy, a two-time All-American and two-time NCAA qualifier, still holds the school course record at Van Cortlandt Park -- a remarkable 17 minutes, 38.16 seconds. After Lundy's graduation, Morrow was suddenly thrust into the role of team leader. A lesser runner may have been burdened by the responsibility. But Morrow has thrived in the spotlight. She commanded such respect from her teammates and coaching staff that she was named captain for this year's squad. "I can't believe it's been three years," assistant coach Tony Tenisci said. "I can still picture her coming into her first practice as a freshman." Since that first practice, Morrow has displayed her talent not only on the local level, but on an international as well. After winning the Penn cross country most valuable player award last year, she was asked to be a member of the 1994 European team tour. Morrow is now focused on achieving one goal which has eluded her so far -- an Ivy League title. Morrow seemed ready to make a run at the individual title after her magnificent performance at the Paul Short Invitational three weeks ago, where she captured 18th place in the star-studded field with a time of 18:29.6. But Morrow suffered a setback after she injured her hip. While this chapter of Penn history closes, another may just be beginning. Sophomore Michelle Belsley will be competing in her first injury-free Heptagonal Championships today. Belsley has been the surprise of the season. In her first full year of cross-country running, the half-mile specialist has taken the Ivy League by storm. She was Penn's top runner at the Sept. 16 Princeton meet. Since then, she has never finished below fifth on the team in a meet. Belsley, like Morrow, has been bitten by the injury bug recently. Three weeks ago, after her foot got caught under a car, she still managed an 18:44.8 at the Paul Short, her best time of the year. And last week, Belsley was forced to sit out the Lehigh Invitational after being sick for a week. "She has a lot of pride," is how coach Betty Costanza explained Belsley's desire to compete through injuries. Despite the presences of Morrow and Belsley, Penn still needs to execute the team pack-running philosophy if it is to be competitive with favorites Dartmouth, Princeton and Cornell. Fortunately for the Quakers, they are deep, with four or five runners able to crack the 19-minute mark. The only obstacle standing between the Quakers and a Heps title may be injuries. "It's the focal point of the season," Morrow said. "Hopefully, we're going to step it up."