'Crunch time' for W. Track at Cornell

It's crunch time for the Penn women's track team.

"Two weeks ago coach Tenisci sat us down and said 'It's crunch time, ladies,'" sophomore Emily Logan said.

This Saturday, the Quakers prepare to run their final meet against Cornell before the Heptagonal Championships on Feb. 22-24.

Penn is still flying high after its victory over arch-rival Princeton last weekend. The 86-82 victory over the Tigers has infused the team with the momentum it needs to run the final laps of its indoor season.

"Coming off of last weekend makes us excited," freshman Claire Duncan said.

Running their final meet on the same track as Heps should provide great leverage for the actual championships.

"Not to have to worry about getting used to the track gives us that much more of an advantage," Logan said.

Other team members agree.

"I think that everyone's pretty excited about it. It'll be very good to get better acquainted with the facilities," sophomore Grace Maloney said.

The Quakers have been steadily improving throughout the season and hope to continue that trend into Heps.

"I think that the team has come very far. We've gone through a lot of things together, and all of our hard work will definitely pay off at Heps," said sophomore Ingrid Gustafson.

The Red and Blue are experiencing a pervasive feeling of optimism and confidence as Heps draw near. These emotions are due, in large part, to the phenomenal team support and camaraderie that has been a signature of this past season.

"The support is awesome," Maloney said.

That support is the result of Penn's exceptionally small team.

The Quakers are comprised of about 35 girls. Princeton, for example, boasts around 70. The tiny size of Penn's team has pulled the athletes together and fostered a remarkable sense of responsibility and support.

"I think everyone's feeding off of each other. If we were a bigger team people could slack off a bit. It helps everyone become better athletes because everyone's trying their best," Gustafson said. "Everyone counts."

Undoubtedly, the team's focus is on Heps, but everyone is trying to keep their sights on this weekend before completely zoning in on the Ivy League championship.

"We're all just kind of thinking about it as a chance to get one last good time," Logan said.

The competition that the Quakers will face this weekend is not on par with what they've been seeing over the last couple of weeks.

"The competition isn't going to be what we're used to," Logan said.

The easier level of competition this weekend should bolster the Red and Blue's confidence even more. Their times have been consistently improving, and they are expecting to be very competitive throughout the season.

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