Healthier W.X-Country ready for ECACs

It's a pretty safe bet that the Penn women's cross-country team is thrilled about the upcoming fall break. Because after the Quakers' meet this weekend, they just might need some rest. This Friday, the team will be in the Bronx, N.Y., for the ECAC Championships, tackling a grueling course in Van Cortlandt Park. The race is a regional meet in which Penn will face several Ivy League schools for the first time this season. And Van Cortlandt Park is both unique and challenging. The course combines several different gradients and types of terrain. "Our last course was really flat," junior captain Meredith Rossner said. "This course is really hilly so you have to know how to use the hills to your advantage." The Quakers are looking to improve on their 21st-place finish out of 33 teams in the Paul Short Invitational last Saturday. This meet is especially meaningful for Penn because the crucial Heptagonal Championships will also be held at Van Cortlandt Park on October 29. Penn will be hoping for a strong showing tomorrow. More importantly, however, the Quakers will be looking to gain valuable experience for the Heptagonals. Rossner understands the importance of Friday's race. "This is perfect for us to go there and get to know the course," Rossner said. "It is not as high pressure of an event for us as the Heptagonals so this should be a great opportunity." The Quakers are hoping to finally be healthy for a meet. Penn has yet to have all of its top runners finish in any of the meets so far this season. Katie Henderson, who was unable to finish last weekend's race due to an ankle injury, is expected to run. If everything goes according to plan, Penn will finally have Henderson, Rossner and Stephanie Bell all running. Bell led Penn last week with a 49th-place finish. In order for Penn to finish well, the team will have to deal with a fast but rigorous course. "Mentally, Van Cortlandt is a very difficult course," assistant coach Tony Tenisci said. "You kind of shoot out of the mountains and have to run fast until the finish." "It will definitely be a rough course," freshman Lauren Avallone said. "But getting some people back from injury should really help us out." The key for Penn will be keeping their spread -- or distances between the top five runners -- small. This means getting off to a good start in the race. With the steep incline comprising the middle part of the race, a fast start is a must. Making up ground on the narrow, rocky trail of the steep middle section is extremely difficult. "We need to keep our top three runners closer together and keep the back two runners fairly close as well," Tenisci said. "If we do that, we should be in great shape."