UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; September 13, 2006 ¨C The Penn State men¡¯s and women¡¯s cross country teams will open up their season this Saturday at the Lock Haven Invite in Lock Haven, Pa. The meet will begin at 11:30 a.m.

Senior Shannon Van Dyke (Acton, Mass.) returns as the captain for the women¡¯s cross country team. Van Dyke will lead junior Nikki Bohnsack (Rockford, Mich.), junior Sonja Hinish (Williamsburg, Pa.) and sophomores Claire Percival (Sarnia, Ont.) and Janelle Young (Lemoyne, Pa.) into action. The women¡¯s team captured three of the top five spots at last year¡¯s invitational. Bohnsack took third with a time of 22:13.15. Young was fourth with a time of 22:15.56 while Hinish was fifth in 22:30.12. Percival placed eighth in 22:43.91.

On the men¡¯s squad, there is no shortage of potential. Senior All-American Dan Mazzocco (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and senior Chris Nirschel (Pittsburgh, Pa.), who took second and third, respectively, at last year¡¯s meet, will step up in leadership roles. Sophomores Teddy Quinn (Rush, N.Y.) and Mike Syrnick (Philadelphia, Pa.) are coming off strong seasons, and Maryland transfer Tyler McCandless (Northampton, Pa.) has the talent to make an immediate impact.

For more information on Penn State men¡¯s and women¡¯s cross country, please visit Penn State¡¯s official athletic Web site at www.GoPSUsports.com.