While finishing 22nd overall at the Pre-National Invitational might not look too good on paper, the Penn State women's cross country team wasn't disappointed in its performance at the 37-team race Saturday in Terra Haute, Ind.
"I was very pleased. It was just a great opportunity to run. For the most part, we ran well," head coach Beth Alford-Sullivan said. "We responded to the challenge. We competed well."
As usual, the freshmen led the way for the Nittany Lions. Bridget Franek posted a personal best with a time of 20:58, a time better than all but 36 of the 253 who ran at the event. Cheryl Spring also performed well, winding up as the No. 78 finisher.
North Carolina State dominatined at the Pre-Nationals, finishing 59 points ahead of second place finishers Michigan and Wisconsin.
There was no doubt that this would be the toughest race for Penn State so far this season. After all, 14 out of the 37 teams competing in the race with the Lions are ranked nationally. This includes five opposing teams ranked in the top 10.
While the race did incorporate teams from all over the nation, with schools like No. 2 Colorado and No. 8 UC Santa Barbara present, the most important aspect of the race may have been the fact that all 11 Big Ten teams participated this weekend. Four conference foes raced alongside the Lions. This early glimpse of conference rivals gives the team a sneak peak for the Big Ten Championships in a few weeks.
And the Big Ten is loaded, noted by the second place finishes of Michigan and Wisconsin this weekend. Illinois also poses a tough challenge, as the Fighting Illini finished fifth at the Pre-Nationals. All three are sitting high in the official rankings, with Michigan pacing the conference with the No. 3 ranking in the country.
That incredible balance makes the Big Ten perhaps the strongest conference in America. And for a team that is as young as the Lions, it is important to be practical in approach.
"The top seven teams in the conference were ranked in the top 30 of the rankings. To win against Michigan is not realistic," Alford-Sullivan said. "What we want to see is where we match up with the other teams, like Indiana."
But the Lions did top conference foe Purdue at the meet, showing that the team does have a chance to possibly make some noise at the Big Ten Championships, which will be held Oct. 29. This gives the Lions two weeks to prepare for the meet.
