Bridget Franek will once again be returning to the NCAA national championship for cross country.

Only this time, she will be bringing her friends.

One year after Franek ran in the NCAAs as an individual, the entire Penn State cross country team will compete Monday against America's best teams. The best part, Franek said, will be running with the teammates that kept her going all year.

"It's going to be amazing," Franek said. "I've always wanted to line up with my teammates.

Franek said making the NCAAs as an individual is an honor, however she expects her experience to be even better with familiar faces next to her at the starting line.

"After seeing all the teams at last year's nationals and lining up with other individuals, it's just not the same," Franek said.

Thanks to impressive outings throughout the season, capped off by a team victory at the Big Ten championship race, Penn State was able to earn an at-large bid to the race. Though finishing fourth at the Mid-Atlantic regional meet, Penn State was almost guaranteed to earn a spot when NCAA selections came, freshman runner Nicole Lord said.

"We had so many points, and so many teams that won their regions we beat earlier in the year," Lord said. "It was pretty much a shoo-in, but I think we did a good job."

The race differs from the regional meet from a strategic point of view. The regional meet was run to set up one last race for the women, however there is no race after the NCAAs. Lord said the team still has plenty left to prove, and higher-ranked teams might be in for a surprise.

"I think we can beat some teams that other people might not think we can," Lord said. "It's definitely going to be competitive and its going to be all-out, everything-you've got."

A lineup has not been announced by head coach Beth Alford-Sullivan, however she said the top-eight runners from the regional meet are in the running for the seven spots at the race and a final decision will not be made until the weekend.

The runners insist a top-10 finish is likely if everyone runs their best race of the season. Alford-Sullivan, however, will be happy with anything in the top-15.

"We went into the regionals ranked 11th, but I think this team believes they have a shot for the top 10," Alford-Sullivan said. "I believe we're a top-15 team, but if we execute well, we could surprise a bunch of people. If we finish in the top-15, around where we're expected, I'll be very pleased with them."

For all the runners, the NCAAs is the highest point a collegiate athlete can get in cross country. The event's importance is not lost on anyone, especially the younger runners who realize everything the upperclassmen have done to get the team to the NCAAs.

"It's kind of exciting because we have gotten to that point, and I just want to give everything I've got for Penn State," Lord said. "We just want to show what Penn State is made of and give these seniors their last hurrah."