Nov. 5, 2012

2012 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional | USTFCCCA National & Regional Rankings
Men's Entries | Women's Entries

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State University will play host to the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Cross Country Championships this weekend, to be held at the Blue-White Golf Courses, this Friday. The Mid-Atlantic Regional will feature an outstanding competition, including a trio of women's squads ranked in the latest United States Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Top 30, as well as a pair of nationally-rated men's teams.

The Mid-Atlantic Region has been one of the most successful on the national stage over recent years, as teams from the region have won the last three women's NCAA titles with Georgetown taking the crown in 2011, and Villanova winning back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010. Last year, the region put four squads in the top 15 at the NCAA Championships, with Georgetown and Villanova on the trophy stand in first and third, respectively, while West Virginia claimed eighth overall. Penn State also scored a top 15 finish, placing 13th in the team standings.

The Hoyas come in as the top-ranked women's squad in this year's competition with a No. 9 national ranking. Penn State currently sits at No. 15, while Villanova is rated 25th. Princeton is just outside the top 30, appearing in the "others receiving votes" category.

The Mid-Atlantic Region has also experienced outstanding success on the men's side, with Villanova and Georgetown placing 13th and 17th, respectively, at the 2011 NCAA Cross Country Championships. Princeton would also score a top 20 finish in 2011, taking 19th at the NCAA Championships. Currently, Princeton is the top-ranked team in the region at No. 13, followed by Georgetown in 24th. Villanova also received votes in the latest poll.

Individually speaking, Mountaineers Kaitlyn Gillespie and Sarah-Anne Brault are the top two returning finishers from last year's regional, coming in seventh and eighth in 2011. Also scoring top 10 efforts a year ago were Georgetown's Emily Jones, who finished ninth, and Villanova's Nicky Akande, who placed 10th overall. On the men's side, the Hoyas return a pair of top 10 finishers from 2011, with Mark Dennin and Andrew Springer, who placed sixth and seventh, respectively, last fall. Both returners are entered in this year's regional.

The women's 6,000-meter competition is set for a 12:00 p.m., start time on Friday afternoon, with the men's 10,000-meter race scheduled for 1:15 p.m., at the Blue-White Golf Courses on the campus of the Pennsylvania State University.

Competing Women's Teams
American
Bucknell
Delaware
Delaware State
Duquesne
George Washington
Georgetown
La Salle
Lafayette
Lehigh
Loyola (Md.)
Marshall
Maryland
Maryland-Eastern Shore
Monmouth
Mount St. Mary's
Navy
New Jersey Institute
Penn
Penn State
Pittsburgh
Princeton
Rider
Robert Morris
Rutgers
Seton Hall
St. Francis (Pa.)
St. Joseph's (Pa.)
Temple
Towson
UMBC
Villanova
West Virginia

Competing Men's Teams
American
Bucknell
Duquesne
Fairleigh Dickinson
George Washington
Georgetown
Howard
La Salle
Lafayette
Lehigh
Loyola (Md.)
Marshall
Monmouth
Mount St. Mary's
Navy
New Jersey Institute
Penn
Penn State
Pittsburgh
Princeton
Rider
Robert Morris
Rutgers
Seton Hall
St. Francis (Pa.)
St. Joseph's (Pa.)
Temple
UMBC
Villanova