The Penn men's cross-country team looks to extend its season at tomorrow's NCAA Regionals hosted by Lock Haven University.
The Quaker harriers will race against 33 other teams with the prize being an invitation to the NCAA Championships on Nov. 24 at the University of Northern Iowa.
To earn that highly sought trip, Penn will have to come in first or second in a very strong field that includes favorites Georgetown and Villanova, as well as Ivy League rival Princeton.
Lock Haven's course stretches 10 kilometers, more than a mile longer than the usual 8K distance. However, according to Penn coach Charlie Powell, the distance should not impact the outcome the race.
"There's no difference between 8K and 10K, believe it or not," Powell said.
He added that the split times for each mile should not deviate significantly from those that have been appearing all season at the shorter distance.
However, the weather will in all likelihood be a factor. Forecasts predict snow showers in the 48 hours before the race and windy conditions for the race day.
"I hear it's supposed to be ugly up there," Powell said on the expected poor weather. "It's going to be an interesting race."
Despite the conditions, Penn will be using the same strategy that worked for its first few races. Juniors Nolan Tully and Steve Hayes will head to the front of the pack, with the rest of the Quakers trailing.
The strategy fell apart in the Heptagonals, as Tully posted a slower time than usual after having stomach troubles before the start. Later, it was discovered that he had been running with the flu, and his successful recovery will be key to the effort of the Red and Blue.
In addition to the lead pair, junior Matt Van Antwerp hopes for a repeat of his breakout effort at Heps -- at which he finished first for Penn. Freshmen Troy Werner and John Brackmann, sophomore Breton Bonnette and junior George Weiner also hope to duplicate recent success.
The runners will try to earn points for the team but they also have a personal incentive, as the top four individuals whose teams fail to qualify are still invited to Nationals.
Powell is certainly not ruling out this possibility.
"A lot of people didn't think Dusty [Lieb] could make it last year and he did," Powell said, referring to the current Penn junior who missed this season because of injury.
The coach believes that under the right conditions, Tully or Hayes could qualify. He also gave Van Antwerp an outside chance.
A team berth in the national competition is less likely, and barring an upset, the regional could herald the end of an up-and-down season for the Quakers, who have garnered one victory and one second-place finish this season in six team meets.
The lone first-place performance came in a dominating performance at the Delaware Invitational Sept. 20. The previous week, the Quakers were second at the Fordham Invitational.
Disappointment characterized the second half of the season, as Penn ran to an overmatched 26th at Pre-Nationals. In their last race, the Quakers came in seventh in a very tight Ivy League pack at the Heptagonal Championship.
