Solid but not spectacular sums up the season for the Penn men's cross-country team. So it comes as no surprise, then, that the Quakers' performance reflected such mediocrity in the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals on Saturday.
Penn finished 10th out of 27 teams at the qualifying meet for the NCAA Championships. Villanova won the meet despite Dan Mazzocco from Penn State winning the 10-kilometer race. The Wildcats were followed by Georgetown and Princeton, while American and Penn State rounded out the top five, respectively.
"We did not really do as well as we wanted to, but that's kind of the way the whole season has been going for us," freshman John Brackmann said.
The Quakers had placed fifth in last year's event and came into the meet ranked seventh in the region. Unfortunately for Penn, the Red and Blue were unable to translate this into the success they expected when they took the course at Bucknell.
"Placing 10th was a little bit of a disappointment for us," coach Charlie Powell said. "However, it was one of those races where everything is close. The difference between finishing 10th and finishing fifth could be if one of your guys has a good day or not."
Junior Nolan Tully was one athlete who had a good day. He crossed the finish line first for the Quakers in 31:14, placing 24th overall. Tully has made finishing first for the Quakers a habit all year, so it is fitting that his performance on Saturday earned him a place on the All-Mid-Atlantic Region team.
Fellow junior Stephen Hayes came in second for the Red and Blue at 31:48, which gave him 48th overall. He was followed by junior Matt Van Antwerp (54th place overall) and sophomore Breton Bonnette (63rd place). Brackmann finished fifth for the Quakers in 70th place overall -- a solid performance considering that it was his first competitive 10-kilometer race.
The race "was long, but it was manageable pace-wise," Brackmann said. "I did not really feel [fatigued] until the end of the race. That's when the older guys had the advantage."
The Quakers had run in eight-kilometer races all throughout the year. However, this change of distance, according to the team's leader, was not a factor in Penn's performance.
"The difference between an 8K and a 10K is small," said Tully, dismissing the excuse. "It just did not come together for us out there."
Although the Quakers did not finish the season on a high note, there is still plenty of time for the team to come together. The Red and Blue return all their key pieces for next year, and should get their best runner, junior Dusty Lieb, back from injury.
"It could be a really good team for us next year," Powell said. "I can't wait."
