After Heps, Quakers look to indoor season

Every W. X-C runner willEvery W. X-C runner willrun track, but they willEvery W. X-C runner willrun track, but they willcompete in a variety ofEvery W. X-C runner willrun track, but they willcompete in a variety ofdifferent events. When looking ahead to the indoor track season, the Penn women's cross country team is not daunted by its inconsistent performance. And an eight-place finish at last weekend's Heptagonal Championship has done little to discourage the Quakers. "Although our season may have been somewhat inconsistent, it ended on a really positive note," Penn senior Lori Roth said. "Everyone really stepped up at Heps and ran to the best of their abilities. We are all looking forward to see how our hard training during cross-country will pay off on the track." Not only are the Quakers a young team, but they also suffered injuries and illnesses at the beginning of the season. By their third race of the season, the Lafayette Invitational, they were at full strength and had made the transition to collegiate running. For two meets, the team pulled everything together, but the Navy Invitational was a regression. After two weeks off, Penn was ready for last weekend's Heps. Although they came in second-to-last place, the team believes that it met its goals. The Quakers ran a strong, tight front pack, and everyone beat their season-best times on a notoriously slow course. Judging by this improvement, Penn looks forward to the upcoming track season. "We've been harping all season on the talent of the freshmen. But I think we really need the new attitude and enthusiasm to go along with the experience of the upperclassmen, though I think that it will be really interesting to see how we adjust to the track season because there's more of an opportunity for specialization," Penn sophomore Rita Garber said. "Incidentally, the track recruits are supposed to be amazing too." The inconsistency of the cross country team does not necessarily reflect on the performance of the track team. The cross country team is young and somewhat inexperienced last year, but its enthusiasm and teamwork will be an asset to the indoor track team, the defending indoor Heps champion. "The cross country season has been excellent preparation for our upcoming track season, not only physically, but also to build the distance runners up as a team," Quakers freshman Kelly Cuomo said. "As reigning Heptagonal champions, the winter track team's success can largely be attributed to the scope of talents on the team." The cross country runners, for the most part, will make up the distance portion of the track team. They will run as the 10,000 meters, the 5,000, the 3,000 and the 1,500. Additionally, many of the fall runners also compete in the shorter middle-distance events. Every member of the cross country team will run some event for the winter track team following the Eastern Championships. Cross country and track are two completely different variations of the sport of running. Each sport has distinct physical demands. Cross country courses are typically 3.1 miles of hills. Running through fields and trails with consistent ups and downs demands both strength and endurance. Track is a different story. The terrain is standard, and only the lengths of the races vary. The power of the cross country runners combined with the depth of the track team should make for a successful season. "As for what to expect in the track season, I feel that the track season is very intense, just as cross country was, and the competition will be tough," Penn freshman Melissa Audette said. "The focus on the season will be much the same as cross country. Hard work, determination and intensity will result in victories."