University Park, Pa. - With junior Dan Mazzocco heading off to his third NCAA Championship meet in as many years, the rest of the Penn State Men¡¯s Cross Country team will not be standing idly by.

The team will be preparing for the ICAAAA Championship meet, scheduled for Nov. 19 at Van Cortlandt Park, N.Y. This storied 5-mile race is comparable to the NIT¡¯s, said Coach Harry Groves. ¡°A while ago, it was the race,¡± said Groves. ¡°It¡¯s for the teams that didn¡¯t finish on top in the region, but ran well.¡±

Now, with some athletes going to the NCAA meet, many teams will be without their top runners, making the competition a little more interesting.

The Lions are coming off an eighth-place tie at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regionals, where Mazzocco finished 7th and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA meet.

¡°We ran a good race,¡± said Groves, ¡°and it looks like our region was very strong.¡± He added that due to differences in location, average times cannot be compared region to region.

According to Groves, a run in the park is a great way to end the season. The course, which is over 80 years old, has held the ICAAAA meet ¡°since I ran there,¡± said Groves.

¡°It¡¯s really a great place to run.¡±