M. X-C co-captains qualify for Nationals

by Jeremy Dubertby Jeremy DubertThe Daily Pennsylvanian Senior Scott Clayton took third place with a finish of 30 minutes, 34.10 seconds -- less than 12 seconds off the pace of first-place finisher Paul Morrison of Princeton. Fellow Penn captain Sean MacMillan grabbed eighth, finishing the 10-kilometer course 17 seconds behind Clayton. Both will compete at the NCAA Championships in Bloomington, Ind., next Monday. After lofty expectations, the Quakers placed seventh with 183 points in the 27-team field. Georgetown (43 points) and Villanova (67 points) secured automatic team berths, finishing first and second, respectively, while the at-large selections will be announced early this week. Penn had originally eyed those supplemental picks as a potential fallback, but there is no chance that five of the 13 available national choices will be awarded to one region, despite the Mid-Atlantic's strength. Instead, only third-place Princeton is expected to receive a team invitation to Indiana. While Clayton and MacMillan are disappointed that the team could not accompany them to NCAAs, they are excited about the possibility of concluding their season by achieving All-American status, which is granted to the top 35 American-born runners. Following Clayton and MacMillan, Bryan Kovalsky was the Quakers' next best runner, finishing 44th. Bad luck was partly responsible for this disparity. Sophomore Matt Gioffre fell during the first mile, a racing calamity that was compounded by the unusually large field of runners at Lehigh. "He probably would have been in the top 20 to 25," MacMillan said of Gioffre. Another question centered around senior Mark Granshaw's health. Battling an illness at the Heptagonal Championships two weeks ago, the usual No. 4 man did not place as well as anticipated. The Quakers, however, hoped for a recovery in time for Lehigh. But Granshaw finished last among Penn's participants. Meanwhile, there was no disputing the health or the balance of the outstanding Georgetown squad, whose top five racers all placed within the top 15. "They're the class of the field," Clayton said. His co-captain was equally impressed. "They were amazing. They're definitely one of the best teams in the country," MacMillan said. The captains both added, though, that they ran with Georgetown's top runners stride for stride, providing Clayton and MacMillan with a lot of confidence heading into Nationals. "We're pleased with the opportunity we have in front of us," Clayton said. Clayton and MacMillan will stick to much the same practice schedule the Quakers employed last week. They will rest themselves by only running about 70 miles before flying to Indiana with coach Charlie Powell on Saturday. "There's no need to do anything hard at all," MacMillan said. "Either way, this is the last week of cross country." Also, by traveling to Indiana two days prior to the race, the Quakers runners will be able to get accustomed to a course it has never visited in the past. The Quakers know that it features some steep hills and hope that two test-runs over the weekend will sufficiently prepare them. No strangers to hilly conditions after running at Lehigh last week, the two captains and best friends will look to close the season on a positive note for Penn.