Following its best performance at the Heptagonal Championships in 10 years, the Penn women's cross-country team finished in sixth Saturday at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Qualifiers in Lock Haven, Pa.
However, this impressive performance was not enough to qualify the Quakers or any individuals from the team for the NCAAs.
Penn senior Emily Logan led the Quakers to the finish line coming in 15th place with a time of 21:12. Despite setting a personal record in the event, Logan's memory of her final fall event is bittersweet.
"I was really happy with it," Logan said. "But I just missed qualifying for Nationals."
Placing three spots higher would have allowed Logan to compete at the National Championships.
"Nobody from Penn has run them in a while," Logan said.
Freshman standout Emily Buzzell still considered the outcome "quite an accomplishment with such a young team."
Four of the seven Penn athletes that competed this weekend were freshmen.
The Regionals, which serve as a qualifier for the National Championships, attracted much of the area's top talent. Penn competed against 250 runners from over 20 schools, including some of the nation's best teams.
"The only teams that beat us were nationally ranked," Buzzell said.
Earning automatic bids to the NCAA Championships held later this month in Waterloo, Iowa, were the weekend's top two finishers -- Georgetown and Princeton. Villanova and Penn State came in third and fourth, respectively, and were selected as at-large teams for the tourney.
Hoyas senior Treniere Clement placed first in the six-kilometer event, setting the pace with a blistering finish in 20 minutes and two seconds.
After Logan, two other Quakers placed in the top 50. Senior Elaina Lord and freshman Jennifer Blank finished 25th and 50th, respectively.
While pleased with her run on Saturday, Blank believes the Penn athletes who finished ahead of her who were the stars of the meet.
"I think on the individual level, Emily [Logan] and Laney [Lord] had very good performances," Blank said.
While the Quakers did fail to finish high enough to get to the NCAAs, given the youth of their team and the competition level, Penn had set its team sights marginally lower.
"I don't think [qualifying] was really a goal," Blank said. "Just go in there and compete hard."
Joining the long-distance runners for the winter track season will be the team's sprinters and throwers.
"I think it's going to be a lot better," said Logan of the team's expected outcome.
Looking forward to the upcoming season and beyond, Logan is optimistic about the talent she sees in her young teammates.
"The freshmen worked really hard this season, I'm really proud of them," Logan said.
"I hope they are proud of themselves."
