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W.X-C finishes third in threeway meet with Knights, Tigers

(09/24/96 9:00am)

Every Penn runnerEvery Penn runnerbettered Fordham InviteEvery Penn runnerbettered Fordham Invitetimes The cliche that "practice makes perfect" does not always hold true in sports. For if practice had been any indication of how the Penn women's cross country team would perform in last Friday's meet against Rutgers and Princeton, the outcome would have been much different. Although all of the runners improved their times from the Fordham Invitational, Penn finished last in the three-team meet. "We need to be able to apply what we learn in practice to actual competition -- running in a pack in practice means nothing if the pack falls apart mid-race," Quakers junior Linda Packard said. The strong individual performances of some of the Quakers did little to quell the disappointment of the last-place finish. "Even though I was the first Penn finisher, I left feeling a little bit disappointed with myself," Quakers sophomore Rita Garber said. "Compared to last week, I just wasn't mentally focused enough, which is a huge part of competitive racing. From what I could tell, quite a few of the girls on the team had similar experiences. And I hate to admit it, but I really let the Princeton girls intimidate me." Penn senior Annie Brown was unable to run, but was unequivocally proud of her teammates. "Our team has a lot of promise, and we are competing in one of the toughest leagues for distance runners," she said. "A loss to Princeton is nothing to be ashamed of. We need to look at our individual performances and concentrate on being competitive. Racing is very hard. You have to put your heart into it and want to win more than anything. There can be no ambivalence in cross country. It's all or nothing." Indeed, the overall results of the meet shouldn't overshadow the fact that many had good races. Garber finished ninth overall, and freshmen Lisa Marshall and Melissa Audette both improved by more than a minute from last week. Marshall was the fourth runner to cross the finish line for Penn. "Princeton would probably have beat us in any case, but this weekend's meet was not representative of the strength of the team and our overall capabilities," Garber said. Rather than letting Friday's performance become a mental barrier, Penn is looking forward to the races to come. There are a lot of runners of similar ability which creates a very strong middle pack, but the key is to move that pack up. One front runner is meaningless in cross country, since the first five runners score. The return of team captain Michele Belsley from injury will be a big boost, undoubtedly. "Michele Belsley will be a huge asset once she's racing again, and we have a lot of talented freshmen that are still developing and improving," Garber said. "Not only does the team have much more talent than it has in several years, but it has a real sense of unity. We have to draw on this and learn to run together better."

https://www.thedp.com/article/1996/09/w-xc-finishes-third-in-threeway-meet-with-knights-tigers

W. X-C to face Tigers, Rutgers

(09/20/96 9:00am)

Quakers need to overcome injuries, youth The Penn's women's cross country team comes faces Rutgers and Princeton today at 4 p.m. on Princeton's Battlefield. Today's meet is the opener for Rutgers, but for Penn and Princeton, after good starts last week, this will be their second race. Princeton can only hope to perform as well as it did at the Lafayette Invitational last weekend, finishing first out of 11 teams. The Quakers, too, aim to build on last week's strengths. Despite numerous injuries among team members, including top distance runner and senior captain Michelle Belsley, Penn placed six out of 15 tems at the Fordham Invitational last week. "[At the Fordham Invitational] we did well as far as the pack staying up with each other," freshman Kacey Corbett said. Penn's hope for today is to strengthen the teamwork that forged a measure of success last week. Senior Lorie Roth believes that at this time in the season the runners really need to focus on the competition. "You're always nervous at first, Roth said. "We need to get these first couple of races under our belts. We look forward to improving." With the first race jitters behind them, Penn can hone in on its goals. Working to intensify the team unity that proved to be an asset last week, the Quakers hope to have a good start and build on that throughout the race. "Princeton is a much flatter course so you have to race it differently -- you need to go out fast" sophomore Rita Garber said. But to be successful at Princeton, Penn will not only need to overcome its injuries, but also overcome its inexperience. The Quakers are a much younger team than either Princeton or Rutgers. In addition, Penn will aim to decrease the distance between the front pack and middle pack. "We had a solid middle and what we want to do is move that group closer to the front pack," Garber said. But what Penn may lack in experience, however, it makes up for in enthusiasm. "The team is really pulling everything together," Belsey said.

https://www.thedp.com/article/1996/09/w-xc-to-face-tigers-rutgers

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