M. X-C sinks to dead last at Heptagonal Championships

The Penn men's cross country team returned to Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx last Saturday to compete against its seven Ivy rivals and Navy at the Heptagonal Championships.

The Quakers placed a disappointing ninth in the nine-team field.

Penn's freshmen had a lot of confidence going into the meet, but were taken off-guard by the intensity of the race.

"There was a lot more pressure for Heps," said Penn freshman Dusty Lieb, who placed 54th. "The Fordham race [at Van Cortlandt Park on Sept. 8]... was not nearly as intense as Heps. All the runners there were good."

The course encompasses a variety of terrains, from flats to hills, plus a unique bottle-neck as it proceeds from the field to the woods.

"The course starts in a big field, it's real flat, and after the first mile it really narrows down for 1.5 miles," Penn captain Matt Gioffre said.

Gioffre placed 22nd in the race. Junior Anthony Sager was the first Penn runner to cross the finish line, ending up in 16th place.

The Quakers freshmen had been advised ahead of time to watch out lest they get stuck behind other runners through the narrow part of the course. But it can be hard to keep all that in mind when the pressure of the competition is so high.

"[Penn] coach [Charlie] Powell warned us again that at that one point [where] we have to funnel into the woods... if we are not out in front, we could get stuck in a whole mess of people," Penn freshman Josh Joseph said.

"I didn't think I ran very fast; mentally I wasn't really there," Lieb said. "I think that happened for a lot of people there... It was just a bad race. After the first mile, we got really strung out and never recovered from that."

Penn touted the most freshmen on its roster at Heps, as well as the most freshmen placing in its top five.

The Quakers' first race at Van Cortlandt Park, the Fordham Invitational, was considered by Penn as a "training run" for the season -- a preparation for a successful run at Heps.

But perhaps this Heptagonal Championship should be looked upon as a training run for these young runners the next few seasons.

"Definitely it's going to help a lot to get miles under our belts, knowing what Heps is like and how to race it," Lieb said. "I think everyone was disappointed, but we have to tell ourselves that it is a young team... That's the only way to reason it, but at the same time it is disappointing."

Looking toward the next meet, the District Championships at Lehigh on Nov. 10, the Quakers freshmen are continuing to focus on growing into the pressures of collegiate competition.

"We'll be working on trying to run together," said Lieb. "The key for Districts will be not giving up and staying in it mentally. We will also work on foot speed, which we have not really worked on yet."

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