Garber in not the variable for W.X-C

If the competition is wondering which Penn women's cross country runner will cross the finish line first at the Heptagonal Championships, they need look no further than the team's last meet. Two weekends ago at Van Cortlandt Park in New York City, Rita Garber finished first for Penn and seventh overall in 18 minutes, 47 seconds. For those die-hard skeptics who still have doubts that Garber will finish first for Penn, the complete meet results of the team should be enough evidence. Since the Fordham Fiasco Invitational, the Quakers' first meet of the season, also held at Van Cortlandt Park, Garber has finished first for Penn, and consistently in the top 20, in every meet. The Heptagonal Championships, or Heps, as it is known to runners, is the most prestigious meet of the season. The venue is Van Cortlandt, a familiar course for Garber and the other Penn runners, who make their third trip of the season to the Bronx tomorrow. The competition this time around, however, will be much stiffer. "Heps has nine competing teams, the eight Ivy League colleges plus Navy," Quakers assistant coach Tony Tenisci said. "Since only the top five finishers for each team are scored, it is essential to have our runners finish close together." The Quakers have good reason to be optimistic about tomorrow. In her second visit to Van Cortlandt two weeks ago for the ECAC Regional Championships, Garber finished in 18:47, shaving 23 seconds off her Fordham Invitational time. Kristen Duyck was the Red and Blue's most improved runner, cutting 27 seconds off her previous run at Van Cortlandt. The three freshmen, Kim Winslow, Meredith Rossner and Christin Gregory, were all top-five finishers for Penn in the Quakers' winning effort in the Leopard Invitational on October 11. For someone who walked onto the team in her sophomore year, Garber has certainly made an impression. Tomorrow, however, it may not be sufficient for Garber to set the pace for Penn. Like they have been doing all season, the other Quakers will have to match her pace in order to have as little time as possible separating the top five Penn finishers. "You have to have five girls who are hitting it on that day," Tenisci said. History dictates Garber will be one of those five. How quickly the other four scored Penn runners navigate the course will determine Penn's fate at Heps.