W. X-C falls flat at Heps, tumbles into eighth place in New York City

Falling during an important race is every runner's worst nightmare. A fall mean a loss in time, momentum and hard-earned position.

At Saturday's Heptagonal Championships, held in New York City's Van Cortlandt Park, this nightmare turned into reality for two runners on the Penn women's cross country team.

Those falls altered the race for the Quakers as a whole, as Penn finished a disappointing eighth out of nine schools.

As freshman Claire Duncan descended one of the course's many steep hills, she lost her footing and tumbled down the hill. Hitting the ground hard, she managed to keep her momentum moving forward.

"I just rolled and got up again," she said. "I didn't even miss a stride."

The scene was a little different for sophomore standout Abbi Gleeson.

Caught up in a crowd, Gleeson slowed down and moved to the outside of the pack in an attempted to gain better position. As she made her break, though, someone clipped her from behind and sent her to the ground.

But Gleeson, too, was able to regain her footing and composure without much trouble.

"From skating, I was able to get up fast," said Gleeson, a former figure skater.

Both runners were shaken more mentally than physically. In the split moment after falling, Duncan said that she thought to herself, "You can stop, you have an excuse now."

But she didn't.

Gleeson thought that her chances of finishing well in the race were gone after the fall, but she still crossed the line in 18:08.4 for a 14th-place finish.

And although the rest of the team kept their footing, the Quakers managed to beat only Navy.

Penn assistant coach Cricket Batz-Shaklee would have preferred a higher placement, she saw a positive side to her team's performance. The Quakers finished dead last at last year's Heps.

"We are happy to make a step up," she said. "The team showed definite improvement."

Despite losing to each Ivy League school, the Quakers still followed their season-long strategy of running as a team.

"I told them to go out and find each other, and push each other," Batz-Shaklee said. "I was pleased we came in as a pack."

Duncan finished 45th with a time of 19:06.3. She was followed closely by teammates Sam Desposito, who placed 48th with a time of 19:08.5, and Kristen Koch, who ran a 19:10.6 for 51st. Sophomore Erin Okawa rounded out the Penn roster, finishing in 19:26 for 55th.

Heavily favored Yale beat out Cornell for the overall victory, anchored by the race's individual winner, Kate O'Neill.

The Quakers will have a chance to improve on their performance at Heps -- and hopefully stay on their feet -- at the NCAA District 2 Championships, held in Lehigh, Pa., on Nov. 10.

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