Freshman Anguel Tolev, running in today's Heptagonal championships in New York, has come a long way since immigrating to the United States in 1998. Tolev's family immigrated to Denver from Bulgaria when he was nine. He didn't know a word of English. No biggie. "The transition was weird," Tolev said. "But over time you get used to American culture." The process of learning English took a "couple of years," though it helped that he learned the language at a young age. In Bulgaria, Tolev was an avid soccer player, something he attributes to helping him become a good cross-country runner. "A lot of good cross-country runners come from soccer backgrounds," he said. During his freshman year of high school, Tolev had to choose between playing soccer, his first love, and running cross country, because they took place during the same season. Tolev chose cross country because he wanted to "join a successful sport" at his school. After a mere nine years stateside, Tolev, who men's coach Charlie Powell calls one of the country's top recruits, chose Penn because his "education was the main concern." Family ties (his older sister is a Wharton senior) and the regional diversity of Philadelphia also contributed to his decision. Tolev's immigrant background has had a lasting effect on his character. "He's tough as nails," Powell said. "He's initially very quiet, but he's a great guy. He's a pretty unique individual." Like his transition to a new country, Tolev's transition to collegiate athletics has gone smoothly. He fared well in his first three races of the season, finishing 4th out of 233 at the Fordham Invite on Sep. 8and 41st out of 270 at the Paul Short Invitational on Sep. 28. He was one of the Quakers' top five runners in all three races. And his last chance to impress this season comes at today's Heptagonals, the League's cross-country championship. "My goal is to place top-10," he said. "I'm just going to go out there and try to have a good race." After a very successful high-school career, including a second-place finish in Colorado's 5K state championships his senior year, Tolev is accustomed to being in the limelight. But as a freshman on a team that hasn't won at Heps since 1973, the unassuming runner is happy to be in the shadows for a change. "I'm used to pressure," he said. "It's nice not being the center of attention going into this race." He may need to get used to the attention again, as his cross-country future appears to be bright. "If he goes in relaxed and confident, he could surprise some folks," Powell said. "He's going to be an outstanding runner."