Some ups and downs, and some more ups and downs at Griak

What to say about Minnesota... Well, to be honest, I'm glad it's over. That Minnesota golf course haunted me from the minute I crossed the finish line last year. But, after running almost a minute and a half faster than last year, and placing 54 spots better, I'm kind of upset that it was my last time on the course. Even though I am very pleased with my race, I have mixed feelings about the competition. The women placed a somewhat disappointing 8th in a field that was deep, but nothing like what we will face this weekend at the Notre Dame Invitational or further down the road at Big Tens and Regionals. I expected the team would place somewhere in the top 5, and any place better than fifth would be an incredibly good race for us. There were some real bright spots from the weekend as well. Freshman Abbie Benson had a great race considering it was her first time in such a large competition. The weekend also got us ready for what is to come.

This weekend at Notre Dame we will face some exceptional teams including New Mexico, Princeton, BYU and Arkansas just to name a few. The thing about the Notre Dame meet is that we compete in such a large race, on a very little course. Get ready to use those bony elbows ladies!

Over the past few years we have held our own on this course. My sophomore year we had a great day and ended up placing 4th securing a lot of at-large points for NCAA's. That year, Bridget Franek led our team to a Big Ten Championship win and a 14th place finish at NCAA's. We didn't do quite as well last year, placing 10th, but considering the stiff competition, it was a pretty good day. This year, we need to prove that we are a team on a mission. We need to make a statement that we can and will make some noise at the National Championships. We need to show that we have put in the work to make us one of the best cross-country teams Penn State has ever had.

               

It is Wednesday, around 11am, and we are leaving tonight at 6pm. We bus for a few hours tonight before stopping in Ohio. We will then finish the trip tomorrow morning. We will be traveling 12 men and 12 women. The nice thing about this weekend is that we get to travel a few more people because there are two different races. There is a "J.V." race and a "Varsity" race. We'll be racing eight or nine in the varsity race, leaving the rest to duke it out in the J.V. race. The nice thing about the J.V. race is that our men and women can do very well. My sophomore year Claire Berryman won the J.V. race with Jessica Babcock coming in shortly after. It is always a nice confidence boost to run up front and even win a race. Who knows how Friday's experience may help the team develop towards the end of the season.