Scaling to the top of Mount Everest.
This is the equivalence of the daunting task that the Penn State women's cross country team faces tomorrow at the 16th annual Roy Griak Invitational in Falcon Heights, Minnesota.
The Griak Invitational plays host to many of the national powerhouses from across the country. Among the 30 teams that will be at the Griak, 11 of them are currently ranked in the top 25, and 17 ran last year at the NCAA championships.
The Nittany Lions will also get a first hand look at many of their Big Ten rivals, and also see some of the Mid-Atlantic Regional competition.
The challenge at hand would overwhelm some young teams but the Lions refuse to let it affect them.
"We're trying not to overanalyze the competition and we can't control what the Providence's of the country are doing," senior captain Kim DeNovellis said. "You can't be overwhelmed by the top 10 schools and worry about how they're doing. Instead we must focus on ourselves and attaining what we want to accomplish."
The inexperienced Lions will gain necessary experience tomorrow, which will help them for the remainder of the season. Running at the bigger meets are far different then those smaller ones.
"One of the teams goals is to gain experience, since we are so young, from this deep talented field. This will help us for Big Ten, Mid-Atlantic and NCAA championships, if we qualify," Penn State women's cross country coach Beth Alford-Sullivan said.
"In addition with over 250 athletes running you must establish your position early. It's to difficult to come from the middle pack in a big race, and then you need to hold on at the end."
There are many teams that are in the hunt to win the Griak. One of the frontrunners is the defending Griak champions, No. 19 Minnesota. Sophomore Darja Vasiljeva, who placed eighth a year ago, leads the Gophers. Minnesota also has the advantage of running on their home course.
No. 11 Arizona State Sun Devils are looking very strong this year. The Sun Devils are coming off a second place finish a week ago at UC-Irvine Invitational, and are led by junior Cody Sohn.
Coach Alford-Sullivan expects the No. 12 Washington Huskies to have a very strong showing, and are the sleeper. The addition of All-American Sabrina Monro, a transfer from the University of Montana, and top runner back in the nation, makes the Huskies a very legitimate contender.
The Lions have a very tough mountain to climb tomorrow, but the youth of the Lions does not seem to let anything bother them, nor let nerves get to them.
"Our girls feel a sense of being in control. They don't worry about how they are perceived to act and feel. They just want to go out and compete," Alford-Sullivan said. "They have nothing to lose."
