After finishing a promising eighth overall at the Big Ten Championship, the Penn State women's cross country team is prepared to run against non-conference teams once again.
The Nittany Lions head to the NCAA Division I Mid Atlantic Regional at 11 a.m. this Saturday at Lock Haven. Not just a team race, the regional decides which athletes will be able to move on and run at the NCAA Cross Country Championships on Nov. 20 based on individual time.
While there will be an abundance of talent present this weekend at the regional, Penn State has already seen its fair share of great teams and runners this season. After all, three Big Ten rivals are currently ranked in the top 10 of the official women's cross country rankings. So intimidation should not be a factor.
"Running against the Big Ten helps in some ways. You take what you get from that," head coach Beth Alford-Sullivan said. "But now it's about this weekend. But we've seen these teams already this season."
This marks the second time Penn State will be running there this year, as the Lions' first meet of the season was the Lock Haven Invitational, where they finished second overall.
That familiarity could give the Lions a slight edge over some of its competitors.
"It's the first and last meet. We are already talking about the course. And we can use it to our advantage," freshman Jessica Babcock said.
Once again, the top times for Penn State are expected to be from freshmen Bridget Franek and Cheryl Spring. Franek finished in 17th place at the Big Ten Championships, just short of finishing with All-Big Ten designation.
Eight athletes will be present for the Lions this Saturday, with one being an alternate. Of those eight selected running for Penn State, only one is not a freshman or sophomore. And even then, the other one is a junior.
While this may appear to show the team's inexperience, that is generally not the case. Throughout the year, the newcomers and young runners have finished with the top times for Penn State. So inexperience is starting to actually become less and less of a factor as the season starts to draw to a close.
"They're getting seasoned and competing well. We expect them to handle themselves well," Alford-Sullivan said. "But it is still their first regional race."
What makes this meet different than the other ones this year is that while they will be competing as a team, one's individual performance determines whether or not one can move on to the national championships. But team performance is still first on the minds of the athletes.
"We know we're going to improve upon last year. We want to finish in the top 5," sophomore Molly Ritter said.
