M.X.-C aims for NCAAs

The Quakers head to the NCAA District II meet with an eye on nationals. One Penn team is hoping to start its Thanksgiving break a bit early with a November 22 trip to Bloomington, Ind. A trip to the NCAA Championships at Indiana is within reach for the Penn men's cross-country team if it can place high enough in Saturday's District II Championships at Lehigh. The Quakers, who finished third at the Heptagonal Championships two weeks ago, certainly have momentum in their favor as they head to Bethlehem, Pa., in search of history. Penn has not participated in the national tournament since 1971 but coach Charlie Powell feels that this season might bring an end to that drought. "Unless there are some real big upsets, we think we have an excellent shot," Powell said. While Powell realizes the potential of his runners, he refuses to allow any historical significance to interfere with the race at hand. He prides himself on being able to focus on one meet at a time without looking ahead. "I'm one of the few people who can do that," he said. Powell and his team also agreed to tone down practices the past couple weeks in preparation for Lehigh. The runners hoped that the reduced mileage would keep them in better condition and cure any soreness. Part of this philosophy was based on a knowledge of Saturday's course, which spans 10 kilometers (over six miles) rather than the traditional five miles. In addition, Lehigh is notoriously hilly. This course can benefit Penn, especially if the Quakers are well rested. "We have a lot of natural distance runners," senior co-captain Sean Macmillan said. Penn has also dedicated some of its time to formulating a plan of attack for Lehigh. "I always run better when I start out slow," sophomore Matt Gioffre said. "I like to be passing people the whole race." The District II Championships invite all 38 teams from the Mid-Atlantic region but not all are expected to compete -- some just aren't capable of a strong finish and opt to preserve their budget by not even traveling to the race. The top two teams gain automatic bids to NCAAs while a couple at-large selections will probably also be rewarded to the powerful and highly respected Mid-Atlantic conference. The Quakers would be thrilled to go in any way possible but they would definitely prefer the automatic berth to eliminate the suspense of learning the at-large selections. Powell explained that a committee convenes to discuss such picks and only reaches a consensus by Tuesday, an agonizingly long three days after the race. Another intriguing possibility to look out for is whether Penn's team will fail to qualify, while at least one of its two stars will go. Co-captains Macmillan and Scott Clayton also realize that the top individual finishers earn a trip to Indiana regardless of how their teams perform as a whole. Powell said he would be disappointed if that situation arose but he would of course be supportive of his top runners.

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