Determined and realistic, the Penn women's track team that is going to this weekend's Penn State National meet has no conceptions of beating the top Division I teams in the country.
However, the athletes do predict personal records and intense team support.
"We will definitely be challenged to meet the competition. This is what we need right now," Penn coach Tony Tenisci said.
The competition promises to be tough, but the Quakers are up to the challenge. Larger Division I teams such as Georgetown, Wake Forest and William and Mary loom over the Quakers' meet this weekend.
The Red and Blue view the intimidating competition as an opportunity for individuals to to make a statement for themselves.
"Basically, we're trying to work off the other teams," junior Crystal Marsh said.
The Quakers are looking forward to achieving personal best scores and times. They are aware, though, that the larger Division I schools are not realistically going to be beaten by Penn.
"We're seeing a lot of people out of our league," Petra Stewart said. "We're looking to be competitive and have some [personal records] if possible.
"It's a more competitive meet than we've been to over the year," she said.
Despite their successes last weekend at Cornell, the Red and Blue are expecting the fierce competition to raise their times.
They are also expecting significant improvements on their past performances.
"Because the competition is tougher, I am expecting the team to push harder," Stewart said.
In addition to working off of the competition, the runners will be battling on a banked track, which will also contribute to lower times and better overall performances.
Rising up to the tough competition will also serve as an opportunity to prepare for Heptagonal Championships at Cornell next month.
Penn will compete in the annual event held on the weekend of Feb. 23 and 24.
"We're coming into the Championships in less than a month and it's good to get used to the competition so we can achieve at the championships," sophomore thrower Tonia Sabino said. "[The Heptagonals] are always lingering in the background."
Overall, Tenisci is extremely positive about the remainder of the season.
"This young team is doing a wonderful job, and I'm really excited for the next few meets to show their work, effort and talent," Tenisci said. "I'm really proud of them.
"It's been very rewarding for me to watch them get better and better."
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