M. X-C aims for NCAA bid at Regionals

Icy conditions are expected for Saturday's running of the NCAA Regionals in State College, Pa. When temperatures dip into the 20s, most Penn students bundle up and stay indoors as much as possible. They are obviously unaware of the proper attire for freezing temperatures: a tank-top and shorts. But the only people in tune with this hot winter fashion are the members of the Penn men's cross country team. The Quakers will run in the NCAA District II Championships at State College, Pa., on Saturday morning, where the race-time temperature is expected to be about 32 degrees. Their only options to stay warm are a long-sleeved T-shirt underneath the uniform, a hat and gloves. Still, most players won't even wear that much. "It's more incentive to run quickly," sophomore Scott Clayton said. "I might throw on a pair of gloves ? it's over before you know it." Penn only has a slim chance of making the NCAA championships, as only the top two teams advance out of the 37 competing. Two more at-large bids are available to third-place teams that have demonstrated their power nationally. The Quakers enter the meet ranked eighth in the district and are not expected to advance. "If all goes as planned, we won't make it," freshman Bryan Kovalsky said. "But snow is a variable that adds some chance. We could walk away going to Nationals if all goes well." With over 200 runners competing, Penn coach Charlie Powell believes the weather could be a factor on the crowded course. Snow is the forecast for Friday, so Powell is worried that wet snow could freeze overnight and leave an icy course for the race. Although the team does not really expect to go to Nationals, senior captain Paolo Frescura has a decent chance to be the first Quakers runner in over a decade to qualify individually. He needs to finish in the top three among all the runners on the 34 or 35 teams that do not qualify. "He's got a shot," Powell said. "Nobody except us believed he'd be in the top five at Heps and he finished fifth. But he's got to do it all on his own." In contrast to most races during the season, which are eight kilometers long, the championships are 10 kilometers. "Personally, I think it helps our team more than some others because a lot of us are distance runners," Kovalsky said. "Some other teams have a lot of converted milers." On the injury front, the entire team is healthy, except Mike Phillips, who was diagnosed last week with a mild case of mononucleosis. After a valiant attempt to compete at the Heptagonal Championships, Phillips has been forced to take the last two weeks off. The mononucleosis was luckily caught at the beginning stages, so he may be healthy in only a month. Practices last week were moderate after a tough race at Heps on October 31. The team had a hard workout on Monday to help prepare for the race. "There's nothing we could do to help ourselves now," Clayton said. "We're relaxing and taking it easy. The workouts over the past few weeks will matter now." The Quakers enter the race knowing a couple of good performances and a little luck could possibly propel them to Penn's first cross country team in Nationals since the 1970s. But the real goal is to earn more respect for the team by ending the season with a strong performance. Of course, they are also concerned with their health. "The very first thing you do after the race is take off your wet shirt," Powell said. "You put on a dry shirt and a sweatshirt immediately. It'll stop you from shivering. "That's why they say real men run this sport -- wimps need not apply."