Nov. 13, 2008

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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.: November 13, 2008 - After countless miles of training and a season of challenging competitions, the fate of both Nittany Lion cross country teams comes down to this weekend, as the Penn State harriers travel to the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships at Princeton University on Saturday. The women's 6,000-meter race, and the men's 10,000-meter competition will determine which teams will earn bids to the NCAA Championships, with the top two teams advancing with automatic bids, and the rest of the field still in the running to receive an at-large berth. Both Nittany Lion squads are poised for outstanding finishes at the regional meet as the Nittany Lion men enter the weekend ranked 29th in the country, and third in the region, while the Penn State women boast a No. 25 national rating, and a No. 5 ranking in the region.

The Penn State men have been on fire in recent weeks, highlighted by a fourth-place finish at the Big Ten Championships - the Lions' best showing since the 2000 season. Led by Big Ten Freshman of the Year Kyle Dawson (Coatesville, Pa.), the Lions also captured runner-up honors in a challenging field at the Penn State National last month, propelling them to their first national ranking in nearly a decade. The Lions are in position to continue their successful season this weekend, and will be vying for their first trip to the NCAA Championships since 1994.

John Mahoney

The Penn State women have been just as stellar in 2008, winning top honors at the Iona Meet of Champions in September, and following up with an outstanding third-place finish at the Bill Dellinger Invitational, and a second-place standing at the Penn State National in October. With junior Bridget Franek (Hiram, Ohio) leading the pack, the Nittany Lions have held strong in the nation's top 30 for the majority of the 2008 campaign and are poised and prepared to cap their record-breaking season with an appearance at the NCAA Championships.

About the Races:
When: Saturday, November 15, 2008
Where: Princeton, N.J.
Start Times: Women - 11:00 a.m.; Men - 12:00 p.m.
Distances: Women - 6,000m; Men - 10,000m

How it Works:
The country is divided into nine geographic regions (Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, South, Great Lakes, Midwest, South Central, Mountain, and West). 31 teams are accepted into the NCAA Championships, 18 of which will automatically qualify to the championships by finishing as one of the top two teams at any of the nine regional races. The remaining 13 at-large teams are selected by the NCAA Division I track and field subcommittee.

Results:
Results will be available at www.ncaa.com following the races. Log onto www.gopsusports.com for full results and Penn State recaps on Saturday afternoon.

The Competition:

Women (NCAA, Ranking; Region Ranking)
American
Bucknell - No. 8
Delaware - No. 10
Duquesne - No. 12
George Washington
Georgetown - NCAA, No. 13; No. 4
Howard
La Salle
Lafayette
Lehigh - No. 11
Longwood
Loyola (Md.)
Marshall
Maryland - No. 7
Maryland-Eastern Shore
Monmouth
Mount St. Mary's
Navy - No. 6
Penn - No. 9
Penn State - NCAA, No. 25; No. 5
Pittsburgh
Princeton - NCAA, No. 4: No. 1
Rider
Robert Morris
Rutgers - No. 13
Seton Hall
St. Francis (Pa.)
St. Joseph's (Pa.) - No. 14
St. Peter's
Towson - No. 15
UMBC
Villanova - NCAA, No. 5; No. 2
West Virginia - NCAA, No. 6; No. 3

Men (NCAA, Ranking; Region, Ranking)
American - No. 12
Bucknell
Coppin State
Delaware - No. 13
Duquesne - No. 5
Fairleigh Dickinson
George Washington
Georgetown - NCAA, No. 9; No. 1
Howard
La Salle - No. 7
Lafayette
Lehigh - No. 10
Longwood
Loyola (Md.)
Marshall
Maryland - No. 9
Maryland-Eastern Shore
Monmouth
Mount St. Mary's
Navy - No. 6
Penn - No. 11
Penn State - NCAA, No. 29; No. 3
Pittsburgh - No. 14
Princeton - NCAA, ORV; No. 2
Rider
Robert Morris
Rutgers
Seton Hall
St. Francis (Pa.)
St. Joseph's (Pa.) - No. 8
St. Peter's
Temple
UMBC
Villanova - NCAA, ORV; No. 4

Penn State Preview:

The Nittany Lion men have been on the rise this fall thanks to strong efforts from a solid pack of veterans and a pair of talented newcomers, including Big Ten Freshman of the Year Kyle Dawson, and freshman Vince McNally (Smoketown, Pa.), who posted the highest finish from a true freshman at the Big Ten Championships. Senior Tyler McCandless (Bath, Pa.) has also been one of the Lions' most consistent contributors this fall, finishing as Penn State's top runner in a pair of meets this season. Also running strong have been seniors Brian Fuller (Camp Hill, Pa.) and John Mahoney (Richboro, Pa.), who finished 24th and 36th, respectively, at the Big Ten Championships - career-best finishes for both athletes. Seniors Dennis O'Connor (Philadephia) and Teddy Quinn (Rush, N.Y.) are also on pace to cap off their cross country careers with a bang, as both Lions have been among the Penn State top seven all season. McCandless was the Lions' top finisher at the regional meet in 2007, posting a 26th-place finish - just shy of all-region honors.

The Penn State men enter the weekend as the one of only two teams in the Mid-Atlantic Region to appear in the national rankings. The Nittany Lions are currently rated 29th among NCAA competition, behind only No. 9 Georgetown in the region. Regional foes Princeton and Villanova are also on the national radar, as both clubs received votes in the latest USTFCCCA poll. The Nittany Lions have faired well against in-region competition this season, finishing second behind Georgetown, and upending Villanova at the Penn State National in October, and knocking off all in-region foes in their second-place finish at the Iona Meet of Champions in September.

On the women's side, junior Bridget Franek will contend for her third-straight top five finish at the regional championships, after finishing fifth in 2006, and fourth in 2007. The Nittany Lion women are certainly no stranger to regional success as redshirt sophomore Leah Rosenfeld (Ridgefield, Conn.) also posted an all-region finish in 2007, placing 14th, while junior Cheryl Spring (The Woodlands, Texas) has two all-region certificates to her credit. Franek, Rosenfeld, and Spring have continued to be in top form in 2008, as Franek captured All-Big Ten honors for the second-straight year, and Rosenfeld and Spring both recorded individual victories during the course of the season.

Senior Claire Percival (Sarnia, Ontario) has also had an outstanding season thus far, finishing in the Lions' top five in every appearance this year, and running as Penn State's third finisher at the Big Ten Championships. Lion freshman Kara Millhouse (Boiling Springs, Pa.) and Caitlin Lane (Greenwich, Pa.) have also been tremendous contributors this season, along with senior Janelle Young (Lemoyne, Pa.).

Much like the Big Ten Championships, the women's field will be one of the most challenging in the country, as the Nittany Lions enter the weekend as the 25th-ranked team in the country and the fifth-rated squad in the region. The Mid-Atlantic region boasts the most ranked teams in the country, with five squads in the top 30, while the West, Midwest, and Mountain regions will line up with four ranked teams apiece. The Nittany Lion women, who have been in the nation's top 30 for the better part of the 2008 season, will be up against a trio of squads rated in the top six in the country, including No. 4 Princeton, No. 5 Villanova, and No. 6 West Virginia, along with No. 13 Georgetown.

2008 So Far:

At the Big Ten Championships:
Behind a fifth-place and all-conference finish from freshman Kyle Dawson, the Nittany Lion men's cross country team posted a fourth-place finish at the Big Ten Championships at the University of Michigan Golf Course. The Nittany Lions' outstanding finish was the highest since the 2000 season for the Penn State men, who also bested several ranked programs on the day, as well the seventh top-five finish since the Nittany Lions joined the Big Ten in 1991, and the third in the last 13 years. The Nittany Lion women turned in a seventh-place finish in the team standings in arguably the deepest distance conference in the country, which included seven programs ranked in the top 21 nationally. Junior Bridget Franek led the way for the women with a ninth-place effort individually, posting an all-conference finish for the second-straight year.

At the Penn State National:
The Nittany Lion men's and women's cross country teams both engineered second-place finishes in talented fields at the Penn State National on Oct. 17, at the Blue/White Golf Course. Both Penn State squads posted outstanding efforts, let by a fifth-place showing by redshirt freshman Kyle Dawson in the men's race, and a fourth-place finish by junior Bridget Franek in the women's race. The Nittany Lion men provided arguably their best performance of the 2008 campaign, finishing second behind only No. 8 Georgetown, and upending Villanova, which was rated 28th nationally going into the race. Georgetown scored 43 points in the win, followed by the Lions in second with 93, and Villanova in third with 126. The No. 20 Penn State women were just as successful placing second behind No. 7 West Virginia, and topping No. 25 Wake Forest, and No. 28 Duke.

At the Bill Dellinger Invitational:
Running through a consistent rain and muddy conditions, the Nittany Lion women's cross country team impressed among several of the nation's top programs, finishing third in an outstanding field at the Bill Dellinger Invitational at the Springfield Country Club on Saturday, Oct. 4. Led by a fifth-place effort from junior Bridget Franek in her 2008 opener, the Nittany Lion women scored a total of 107 points, finishing third to No. 1 Oregon and 11th-ranked Arkansas, while upending No. 17 Colorado State, No. 23 BYU, as well as solid squads from Wake Forest and Portland. The Nittany Lion men's team, competing in a stellar field which included three of the NCAA's top seven-rated programs, managed a ninth-place finish, highlighted by a 36th-place finish from senior Tyler McCandless.

At the Iona Meet of Champions:
For the second time in as many weeks, a member of the Nittany Lion women's cross country team captured an individual victory, this time with redshirt sophomore Leah Rosenfeld topping a competitive field at the John "Paddy" Doyle Meet of Champions at historic Van Cortlandt Park. Entering the meet as the defending champions, the Nittany Lion women didn't disappoint, totaling 40 points to capture the runaway victory. Senior Tyler McCandless led an impressive second-place effort from the Penn State men, turning in a 14th-place standing.

At the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational:
The Nittany Lion cross country teams turned in impressive finishes in their first home competition at the Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational in September, with the Penn State women taking runner-up honors, and the men's squad earning a third-place finish. Junior Cheryl Spring led the way for the women's team, posting her first collegiate victory, while freshman Vince McNally earned the top placing on the men's squad with a seventh-place standing.

At the Lock Haven Dolan Duals:
Freshman Caitlin Lane and senior John Mahoney led the way with individual wins as the Nittany Lion cross country teams opened their 2008 campaigns on August 29, competing at the Dolan Duals at Lock Haven University. Holding out several of their frontrunners, the Nittany Lions successfully displayed the depth within their squads, coming away with team wins in both the men's and women's races.