Oct. 12, 2007
In undoubtedly its toughest competition of the season thus far, the 30th-ranked Nittany Lion women's cross country team, posted a second-place finish among an elite 25-team field at the Penn State National Invitational, on a cool and windy Friday morning at the Blue and White Golf Courses. The Penn State men also had a solid showing, finishing third out of 20 teams. Sophomore Bridget Franek (Hiram, Ohio) was the Lions' top finisher on the women's side with a sixth-place effort, while freshman Lucas Zarzeczny (Pittsburgh, Pa.) led the men's team with a 12th-place standing.
"It was an outstanding day for our entire program," said Director of Track and Field/Cross Country Beth Alford-Sullivan. "The women's team position themselves well nationally with an excellent finish. They beat everyone from outside our region, including very talented teams from Duke, Tennessee, and Syracuse."
Franek, who finished as Penn State's top-place winner for the 10th time in her career, ran 21:13 for 6,000-meters, running an outstanding race in tremendous competition. Franek's low stick helped the Lions to a 110-point total, finishing second to only No. 21 West Virginia. The Lions knocked off several heavily talented squads, including 17th-ranked Duke.
Leah Rosenfeld (Ridgefield, Conn.) ran second for Penn State, managing a 19th-place finish in 21:41 - the fastest 6K time of her career. Cheryl Spring (The Woodlands, Texas) and Claire Berryman (Morgantown, W.Va.) went 26-27 with identical times of 21:47 - a season-best time for Spring, and a career-low mark for Berryman.
"We got an exceptional race from Claire Berryman," continued Sullivan. "Her finish really solidified an outstanding top five for us."
Junior Claire Percival (Sarnia, Ontario) rounded out the Lion scoring, taking 32nd overall in 21:50. Juniors Kathryn Fitzgerald (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Meghan Noecker (Reading, Pa.) also managed to finish in the Lion top seven, placing 69th and 73rd. The Lion women crossed the finish line with just 37 seconds between their first and fifth runners - the tightest finish of the season.
West Virginia's Marie-Louise Asselin won the women's race in 20:46, followed by Lindsay Carson of Guelph in second in 20:49. Duke's Maddie McKeever was third in 20:51, with Keri Bland of West Virginia and Sarah Bowman of Tennessee finishing out the top five. West Virginia won the team title with 86 points. Kentucky edged Syracuse for third 127-128, with Wake Forest taking fifth with 173.
Zarzeczny finished the 5.2-mile course in 26:38, with Brian Fuller (Camp Hill, Pa.) following in 14th in 26:56. Running third for the Lions was junior John Mahoney (Richboro, Pa.), who crossed the finish line in 28th in 26:56 - a career-best on the Penn State course - to post his highest team finish of the season.
"The men ran very well despite running a little fatigued," said Sullivan. "They ran tough and held their own against a solid La Salle squad and a much improved Oklahoma team."
Dennis O'Connor (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Tyler McCandless (Bath, Pa.) rounded out the Lion top five with 31st and 35th-place finishes, in 27:02, and 27:07, respectively. Also running strong in the Blue and White was senior Mark Horton (Suffern, N.Y.) who dropped over two minutes off his Spiked Shoe time to finish 40th in 27:12. Senior Mike Syrnick (Philadelphia, Pa.) placed 59th in 27:27, in his final appearance on Penn State's home course.
La Salle took the men's competition with 62 points. Oklahoma finished runner-up with a total of 89. Kentucky (123) and Guelph (125) rounded out the top five. Marcharia Yuot, running unattached, took the individual title in 26:13, while Kentucky's Andre Silva was the top collegian in 26:16.
Next up on the Lion schedule is the Big Ten Championships, set for Sunday, October 28, in Columbus, Ohio.
"Both teams have had great seasons so far," ended Sullivan. "Now we need to turn a corner and get ready for the Big Ten Championships."
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