The grounds were secured for the task of quality coverage. That is, of course, until one person nearly lost control.

Try as she might to conceal it, this woman's failed efforts at shaking her smile led to the eventual realization of her identity.

Meet Beth Alford-Sullivan, the newly named head coach of the Penn State women's cross country team.

"She made a real good impression on us," Lady Lions senior runner Susanne Heyer said.

Flashback to Aug. 12. The Lions' season was set to take flight in four short weeks, and the team felt primed to conquer its menacing schedule. There was only one problem — as the Big Ten opener at Indiana approached, the Lions had yet to be assigned a new head coach to replace Teri Jordan, who resigned in late July to take a higher position within the athletic department.

By the end of the day, though, Penn State Athletic Director Tim Curley made good on his promise to conduct a nationwide search to fill the void left by Jordan. Curley reached deep into the far corners of the United States, tapping into perennial power Stanford to land the accredited Alford-Sullivan.

After Jordan's resignation, many of the runners said they would miss her, but felt that after her Jordan's 15-year reign as coach it was time for a change. Alford-Sullivan fit the bill nearly perfectly.

A Minnesota graduate and former three-time Golden Gophers team captain, Alford-Sullivan returns to her Big Ten bloodlines at Penn State, carrying with her a promising resume.

She began her coaching career in 1991 as a graduate assistant for the Redbirds of Southern Illinois, while simultaneously heading both the men's and the women's cross country programs at Southeast Missouri State.

Upon graduating Southern Illinois with a master's degree in sports administration, she went on to head the women's cross country and track teams at Mankato State in '93.

Two years later, in '95, Alford-Sullivan joined the Cardinal as cross country coordinator. She was thrice named Pac-10 Coach of the Year and earned NCAA Coach of the Year honors after helping lead Stanford to the '96 NCAA Championship.

Outside Stanford, she coached the '94 U.S. Women's Distance Running Team in Beijing. She assisted at the '95 U.S. Olympic Festival in Colorado Springs. She also coached the '97 U.S. World Junior Cross Country Team in Italy.

"She seems very enthusiastic," Heyer said. "I think everyone's excited."

Alford-Sullivan recognized the success Penn State enjoyed during the Jordan era, but said she will start the team fresh, implement new goals and raise the squad's sights.

When asked if she could help the Lions steal the Sears Cup, given to the best all-around athletic university each year, from Stanford, Alford-Sullivan said, "We will be working on that."

But no matter how much talent the Lions return from last year's fourth-place Big Ten team, and no matter how good Alford-Sullivan might be, the squad still will have to perform.

Similar to an NFL rookie reporting late to camp, she arrived on campus three weeks before the start of the season and has a lot of catching up to do — like actually meeting her runners.

"I'm not even 100 percent sure I can name the roster this year," Alford-Sullivan said.

The new coach has plans for success, and emphasized recruiting is an area of focus necessary in the building of a championship team. But for now, runners such as Heyer, sophomore Stacey Brouchard and juniors Erin Davis, Shelley Brand and Allison Carr are among many expected to lead a team that independently stepped up their training during the summer.

"Erin Davis definitely has the ability to take this team on her back," Carr said. "Depth is our strength, but we're stubborn, we're fighters.

"We're ready to go."