Penn cross country off to the races with Big 5 Invitational opener

Off to the races they go.

After a brief layoff following the end of track and field season, Penn’s cross country teams are eagerly anticipating their season opener at the Big 5 Invitational. The first of eight competitions on the docket for 2015 will come this Friday when the Quakers will kick off their campaign at Belmont Plateau in Fairmount Park.

Earlier this week, in anticipation of the squads’ first action this year, coach Steve Dolan announced seniors Thomas Awad and Amy Darlington as captains for the second season in a row along with five others.

“Thomas and Amy were elected by their peers for the second year, and I’m not surprised,” Dolan said. “They bring an excellent sense of leadership and work ethic to our program.”

At this event last year, the Quakers silenced their competition, securing 15 team points and a pair of team titles. While this season’s senior class brings with it plenty of leadership and experience, there are several up-and-coming talents looking to build on their impressive performances from 2014.

Last season, the current junior class claimed three of the top five finishes in the men’s 6K race. However, most notably, then-freshman Abby Hong posted the best time in the women’s 4K, clocking in at 14:21.5 in her first season with the Red and Blue.

Despite a promising core of returning runners, Penn must fill the void left behind by the recent graduation of Conner Paez in 2015. A captain in 2013 and 2014, Paez was an instrumental member of the cross country squad, earning a first-place finish in the 6K at the Big 5 Invitational last season.

To make up for Paez’s departure, the Quakers will be looking to their freshman class for promising results at their opening collegiate event.

“[The freshmen] are doing great,” Dolan said. “I’ve been impressed with how quickly they’ve integrated themselves with the team. They’re hitting their stride with the daily routine as well.”

Since this is the opening event for most of the teams competing this weekend, Dolan is unsure which athletes Penn’s competitors will bring to Belmont Plateau. It isn’t uncommon for programs to conserve certain runners for the more prestigious events later in the fall.

Unlike Penn and Villanova, the other Big 5 teams competed last week at various locations. La Salle sophomore Morgan Szekely captured a title at the Lehigh Invitational, while two freshmen from Saint Joseph’s, Shawn Hutchison and Lindsey Oremus,placed second in their respective 5K races at the TCNJ Invitational. Lastly, Temple junior transfer Stephan Listabarth earned the top finish in the 8K at the Dusquesne Duals.

With a handful of their opponents off to a hot start in 2015, the Red and Blue will be looking to end those streaks on Friday.

“I’ve been very pleased with cross country thus far,” Dolan said. “Everyone devoted themselves to training individually this summer and their performances in practice prove it.”

Undoubtedly, the Quakers will be looking to their senior class, especially their two-time captains, as a catalyst for explosive results this weekend. And if they can build on their preseason momentum on Friday, this poised team may catch fire en route to the Heptagonal Championships in October.

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