Rookie class includes six runners who were either state champions or state finalists Two years ago, the Penn men's cross country team graduated five of its top seven runners. Last year, the Quakers' last place finish in the Heptagonal Championships, their league's end-of-the-season meet, showed the consequence of that great loss. Those graduations have spurred Quakers coach Charlie Powell to completely rebuild the Quakers. Six of the nation's top recruits chose to attend Penn this year, and their progress is crucial to the team's reconstruction. Freshmen Joe Campagna, Scott Clayton, Mark Granshaw, Jason Green, John Krol and Shawn McMillan were all either state champions or state finalists in high school. "This freshman group is fantastic," Powell said. "They are one of the most talented groups brought in in years. They are one of the best groups in shape, and they are mentally tough with a great work ethic." Nonetheless, youth and inexperience still compose this team, and the challenge lies ahead to overcome these two factors. "It's their competitive spirit that counts," Powell said. "They have to grow and get better and peak when it counts." When it counts is at Heps and at the IC4As, the regional championships. This year, Powell is confident that his runners will train with the goal of peaking at Heps. Leading the returning runners is senior captain Matt Wilkinson who finished 12th at Heps and placed in the top six at IC4As last year, earning him all-East honors. "Our goal is to run as a pack," Wilkinson said. "We will live and die by the pack. We're really young, and we'll have to rely on each other." Despite the need to rely on the freshmen contingent, Penn expects to remain competitive in the league. "A lot of teams are young," Powell said. "Anything can happen on a championship day. Everything is wide open, this could be to our advantage." Dartmouth, the Heps champ three out of the last five years, graduated many of its top runners. Of course, any hopes of a Heps crown depends on the progress of the younger runners. If they can improve and make the successful jump to the collegiate level, then a title may not be out of reach. "We expect to do better this year, but it all hinges on how willing people are to do the work to become a quality Division I cross country team," Wilkinson said. Without a lot of experience to draw on, this young team will have to find what it takes to become champions.
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