W. X-C finishes second to Bucknell at Lafayette Invite

Quakers perfectly execute pack strategy as four runners finish within 21 seconds Saturday's performance at the Lafayette Invitational proved to be the most successful outing this year for the Penn women's cross country team. The Quakers finished second out of nine teams and had little to complain about. With a minimal number of injuries and illnesses and captain Michelle Belsley back racing, the team worked together to create an almost indomitable pack. Finishing as runner-up to Bucknell did nothing to damper Penn's spirits. "The team overall finished really strongly," Penn freshman Kelly Ann Cuomo said. "Our top runners are all in such a tight pack -- this is so key in a cross country race. In the beginning, we were having trouble and struggling with things, but I felt like we overcame everything. I feel like we're getting back into the swing of things." Junior Kristen Duyck was the first Penn finisher, coming in eighth overall. The remaining four scorers -- Belsley, Kacy Corbett, Stephanie Bell and Rita Garber -- all finished within 21 seconds of Duyck. A tight pack was exactly what the Quakers were hoping for going into the race. "We ran this meet a lot better than [at the Princeton meet] and had a much tighter pack up front," said Quakers senior Lori Roth, who finished 20th overall. "Overall, our hard practices are really starting to pay off. "The meet went really well. I think a lot of people made really good breakthroughs and reached another level." While the Lafayette Invitational was a success, the team still has room for improvement. Although the pack was fast and had a strong finish, not all of the runners had good individual races. The proximity of the top finishers, however, can do nothing but help the team as a whole and encourage those runners who don't feel as if they were at their best on Saturday. "This weekend's meet was great preparation for next weekend's big meet at Lehigh," Corbett said. "This meet showed us all how we stood up next to some good competition and personally I think we looked pretty good. Our pack time was incredible. Now we just have work on moving the whole pack up a little bit more. "Michelle had an impressive first meet back, and, as she gets stronger and back in her top form again, the whole team will get stronger." At this point, the Quakers can look forward to further successes. Having overcome sickness, injury and a lack of confidence, Penn is looking forward to its next meet with heightened optimism. With a continuation of challenging practices and an increased focus on moving the pack up, the runners hope that they can build on Saturday's performance in each of the upcoming races. "Several people had sub-par performances," Penn junior Linda Packard said, "but other individuals showed a willingness to move up in the group, which is encouraging." "The spread on the first five finishers was just [21] seconds, and the spread on the top nine was under one minute. When we're all on for the same race, we'll be unstoppable."