Former walk-on captains W.X-Country

Senior Rita Garber picked up All-Ivy honors at the Heptagonal Championships last weekend. Step by step, Rita Garber has made great strides in her running career. Garber, an All-Ivy runner, is currently the Penn women's cross country team's number one runner, as well as its captain. This year, Garber has established herself as the best runner that Penn has seen since Chris Lundy, an All-American in 1992. "I chose cross country because I really wasn't good at any other sports, but I thought I could at least handle running," Garber said. Garber has been 'handling' running since the seventh grade, when she joined the team at Ardsley High School. It was the first year she was allowed to compete in sports at her school. Since Garber is the only runner in her family, the decision to run was her own. Garber's fraternal twin sister attempted to run for one year, but then she decided to become a cheerleader instead. The support from her family, though, does not go unnoticed. Garber's father believed that she could really succeed in anything she put her mind to -- this time it was running. Little did her family know that running would become an integral part of Rita's life. "As long as Garber tried her best, we supported her," Garber's father said. On many occasions, Garber's father took an active role in the cross country team. He had the pleasure of driving the whole team around to different functions. Garber's high school team was small and underdeveloped, but this did not inhibit her own success. In fact, Garber's love for cross country can, in part, be attributed to her high school coach, Walter Watson. "My coach really influenced me with his spirit," Garber said. "He was really supportive and made the sport so enjoyable." Some hesitation about being a walk-on prevented Garber from joining the Quakers when she first arrived at Penn. It wasn't until she received the encouragement of another walk-on that she decided to give it a try. "I didn't finally make a decision to at least see what the team was like until they were already deep into the season; I was a very clueless freshman," Garber said. This decision proved to be an essential one to Rita herself and to the Quakers as well. However, it wasn't an easy feat for Garber to gain a racing slot on the team. It required a huge physical adjustment for Garber who wasn't used to the collegiate level of training. "I'd say my first year was definitely rocky," Garber said. "I spent most of my time catching up to everyone else." At first, Rita had to prove herself to win the support and encouragement of the Penn coaches. But she has certainly done that, and now she is quite close to them. Earlier this season on September 19, Garber won her first collegiate race at the Delaware Invitational with a time of 18 minutes, 24 seconds, while competing against four other teams. Garber finished in the top ten in five out of six races this season while also breaking 18 minutes in two races. So, is it a surprise that Rita has been so successful this season? Not in the least. "Year after year Rita has put in a great amount of dedication and consistent training. Now it is all paying off," Penn assistant coach Cricket Shaklee-Batz said. It is evident that Garber knows how to achieve success. For this reason she is an inspiration to her teammates. "Rita is the epitome of leading by example. She knows what needs to be done," freshman Suzie Cook said. And the season is not over yet. The District II Championships, hosted by Navy in Annapolis, Maryland, are taking place next weekend. Garber has established her own goals for the upcoming meet. "I want to throw everything I've got into my next race. It's my last collegiate cross country season, so I feel I owe it to myself to do well," Garber said. This will not be the last time that we hear of Rita Garber, as she will also be running winter and spring track. She even has aspirations to run in the New York City Marathon next fall. For fellow teammates and runners,Garber offers a few words of advice: "Stick with it; work hard; do it for yourself and you'll see the results."