The leader of the pack

He's not the fastestHe's not the fastestrunner on the team, butHe's not the fastestrunner on the team, butRoss Albert may beHe's not the fastestrunner on the team, butRoss Albert may bethe most valuable When Ross Albert was recruited to Penn, he did not burst on the scene as the star of the team. Despite coming from a state championship high school team, he knocked on the door of the Penn varsity team for the last two years -- never making an entrance. But after two years, Albert has come into his own. This season has been a breakthrough year for Albert, who has emerged as the leader of the pack. Having run for seven years, Albert has always been the instinctive, watchful runner. At Council Rock High School in Richboro, Pa., he was the fifth man on the state championship team. Albert's job is a thankless one, says Penn coach Charlie Powell. As the pack leader, he can never leave his teammates in order to pursue a better personal time. Instead, he must sacrifice a higher individual spot in order to keep the pack running at a good pace and have to team place higher overall. "At times it is somewhat [thankless]," Albert said. "There are some guys who haven't gotten much credit, but it's the nature of the sport. People always notice who wins the race, but the team recognizes each other." Albert has been used to putting his individual running goals aside. In high school, the focus was on winning the state championship as a pack. It has not been an easy road for Albert, who has trained long and hard to develop a sense of pace that is unmatched by anyone else on the team. "He's the best man for the job," teammate Aaron McCommons said. "If there's one person I don't get flustered running with, it's Ross." "The guys respond to him very well," Powell said. "He makes a pace, and they follow or else they'll get a swift kick in the butt. "He'll take it upon himself to not make things too easy in practice." Despite being plagued with injuries his first two years at Penn, Albert has never contemplated quitting. "It has been frustrating, Albert said. "I've always been injury prone. It's never crossed my mind." Albert works closely with Powell every day to constantly improve upon what he can do for the pack. When he has breaks in between classes, he often heads to the track office to discuss that afternoon's workout with Powell. "I can tell him what pace to lead the pack on a certain day, and he will go out there and do it," Powell said. "I'm not out there running with them. He's the eyes and ears of the team, and he probably knows more than anyone else what's going on in my head." Albert admits that he is not the most physically gifted runner, but his endurance allows him to be competitive. "It's my style of running," Albert said. "It's made me work harder at being smarter." Quakers captain Matt Wilkinson recalls a time last winter when he ran a hill workout with Albert in 12 inches of snow. "He loves to run more than anyone I know," Wilkinson said. "He's the man for the job." Although he isn't the star runner on the team, Albert plays his role well. "I never got discouraged," Albert said. "By now, I know my limitations. I just love running, and I'm happy."