W. X-C hopes third time is the charm

Sometimes it is unfair that in the sports world, a team is only as good as its last outing. To judge the Penn women's cross country team this way would be especially inappropriate. Although Penn's third time competing in Van Cortlandt Park in New York City, the site of the Heptagonal Championships two weeks ago, was not a charm, the Quakers do not believe it cancels out their best season in five years. "Heps is definitely our highest pressure meet," Penn captain Rita Garber said. "Since all the Ivies have great long distance runners, the competition is really tough, so we had to be prepared not to do as well." After some schedule shuffling, the powers that be of women's cross country have decided that this year's NCAA Regionals will be held tomorrow in State College, Pa. Last year, Penn did not compete in the Nationals since the ECAC Championships were used as a qualifier for that meet. This fall, however, the Quakers' schedule includes an appearance in both the ECACs and the Nationals, since the two events are independent. After a grueling race in New York, the Quakers have had two weeks to put the season in perspective before boarding the bus for State College this morning. Upon arriving, Penn will be greeted by East Coast distance running powerhouses like Villanova and Georgetown. "I see it as a no-pressure meet," said Garber. "There are going to be a whole lot of great teams, but our goal going in is not going to be to qualify for Nationals. I enjoy racing against tough competition, and I think my performance will improve because I am just concentrating on running as well as I can." A recovering Kristen Ryan, who could not finish the race at Heps due to vomiting and serious illness, will be looking to reclaim her spot as one of Penn's usual top-five Penn finishers. "Kristen is sometimes inconsistent but more often than not, she gives us a really good race," said team leader Garber, who has finished first for Penn in every meet this season. It is not only the atmosphere, but also the style of the race, that makes Nationals different from anything Penn has seen this season. In terms of sheer size, the event is conducted on the largest scale, with 37 competing teams hailing from New York to Virginia. "Regionals is such a huge event. It's not like Heps, where you can single people out and see who is running around you. There are a lot of teams and it is a crowded course, so you have to adjust your running accordingly," said Garber. Garber herself has never run the course before, but she will get two practice runs before the championships begin. In order to familiarize themselves with the layout of Penn State's five-kilometer course, the Quakers will take a practice run on this afternoon and another in the evening. Since the runners are not under any pressure to perform, they must distance themselves from the crowd early and anticipate any kinks in the course. Jessica Hulse, Kim Winslow and Meredith Rossner, the trio of freshmen that has lifted the team this season, need to earn their place as next year's leaders in front of a national audience. All three freshmen finished in Penn's top five in the Red and Blue's victory in the Leopard Invitational and second-place finish at ECACs. Apart from Kristen Duyck and Garber, the real leading by example has come from the three newest and youngest team members. Since the Quakers did not fare well on a revisit to familiar stomping grounds in New York City, maybe what they need is to excel in a race on a foreign course. The opportunity will present itself tomorrow, and this third time (counting the two trial runs today) may prove a charm.