UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- As the women's cross country team heads to the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional meet this weekend, they are excited and eager to run in Bethlehem, PA in what is the biggest meet of the season so far.
This team has shown its depth and commitment to each other since competition began in September. From the top down the team leaders stress the importance of family and friendship, and it has led to success.
Every member of this team emphasizes that without their teammates they could not continue to strive for success. Senior Danae Rivers believes that staying with her teammates in a pack is what truly pushes her to continue to run at the most exhausting points in a meet.
"I feel that my teammates and I have been preparing for this meet all season and if we rely on each other we can come out with some amazing times. I am also blessed that I have great teammates to train with," Rivers said.
The help of running with others is what these athletes need in some of the hardest points in a race. Rivers always likes if she can see a Penn State jersey in front of her as a mark to try and catch up to. This has helped her in the final minutes of her race when she knows she has to give it her all.
"I have run a lot of tempos and 1,000 repeats this season with my teammates. We have also practiced staying together as one of us pushes and the others stick with them. I always try to pack up with my teammates and do my best," she said.
Enjoying that pack mentality helps when Junior Julia Paternian is right with her through each race, something that many Nittany Lions have experienced. Paternian has helped this team push each other by knowing each other strengths and full potential.
"We always try to work together to help pull each other along during races, it's much easier when you see someone you train with day in and day out up there and when you start to get tired just knowing you have a teammate there can really help," Paternian said.
Paternian has been increasing her mileage throughout this entire season but she has not done anything differently to prepare for this meet late in the year. The team is hoping to treat this meet just as if it were like any other.
"We haven't really done anything differently, we know what we need to do to try and execute in the race. Our coaches always say that our bodies are like routines and what we have been doing so far in the season has been working so things are pretty similar," Paternian said.
As the season begins to its final few weeks, Rivers and Paternian are both looking forward to what the future holds. For Rivers, that means taking a break from long distances and work shorter and faster on the indoor track.
"I'm am looking forward to taking a physical and mental break after cross country is over. After my break, I will build up my mileage and begin to work out and prepare for indoor season. I am ready for a break but my mindset will continue to get stronger," Rivers said.
As for Paternian, the indoor season is exciting as she has not competed much on an indoor track before. She is motivated to start a new experience in her running career.
"I haven't really thought much about indoors because we are currently all pretty dialed in on cross country. I have only raced once indoors so I am excited for the new experience and am looking forward to it," Paternian said.
While the indoor meets in January bring excitement, there is still much to be done on the outdoor courses. Whether it is the NCAA Regionals this weekend, of the championships in a week, the pack of Nittany Lions are ready to go together.
