M. X-C freshmen must learn to run in pack

Quakers open season at Towson Invitational, aQuakers open season at Towson Invitational, ameet they hav never competed in before Running in a pack is no easy task for many cross country runners. A runner not only has the risk of being left in the dust by his opponents but also of lagging behind other teammates. The latter situation could leave the entire team eating the competition's dirt. For many years, the Penn men's cross country team has adopted the pack strategy, where the top seven runners on the team run together through most of the five-mile race. That plan has worked well for coach Charlie Powell, whose trademark strategy has brought great success to the Quakers in recent years. "It's do or die, you have to have the confidence in the guy running next to you," Powell said. Tomorrow, Penn attends its first meet of the season -- the Towson Invitational at Towson State. It will be the first time the Quakers have ever attended this meet. The invitational will also mark the freshmen's first race ever for the Red and Blue. A number of the freshmen were among the nation's top recruits. Last year, in high school, the new rookies were the top runners on their teams, used to running ahead of the pack. Now at Penn, the is if they will be able to run side by side. "They're mentally tough," Powell said. "They don't act like freshmen. They've impressed me." These past two weeks in practice Powell says they have been acting like a veteran bunch. Not having raced most of the teams at Towson, Powell doesn't know what to expect from the opposing teams going into the season opener. "They don't know us, we don't know them." Powell said. This first race will be a real test for the Quakers to see if they are the kind of team who can stick together and run a successful pack race. "We've come together pretty well over the last two weeks," Penn captain Matt Wilkinson said. He is confident that the team, including the freshmen, is relaxed for the meet. Whether or not Penn wins the meet is not of the greatest importance. Whether or not the Quakers can prove to themselves, to each other and to Powell that they can successfully run a pack strategy will have reverberations effecting throughout the season. The first races are not nearly as important as the league or Eastern, Heptagonal or IC4A championships. "They're ready for the season start," Powell said. "We'll find out soon."