Oct. 4, 2008
EUGENE, Ore. - 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. Led by a fifth-place effort from junior Bridget Franek (Hiram, Ohio) 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 (Bath, Pa.).
"The Dellinger Invitational turned out to be a great competition and a great atmosphere for our sport," said Director of Track and Field Beth Alford-Sullivan. "It was exciting to be involved in a competition of this caliber, and our women competed with poise as well as a competitive race plan."
Franek ran aggressive from the start, holding her own amongst some of the top individuals in the country. Franek would finish in 20:43.96 thanks to a gutsy finish. Also turning in a courageous effort was junior Cheryl Spring (The Woodlands, Texas), who wound up 14th overall in 21:17.10 as Penn State's second finisher. Senior Janelle Young (Lemoyne, Pa.) ran an outstanding second half of the 6,000-meter race as the Nittany Lion's third, placing 25th overall in 21:38.56.
Senior Claire Percival (Sarnia, Ontario) also recorded a top-30 effort, finishing 29th in 21:42.23. Freshman Kara Millhouse (Boiling Springs, Pa.) would finish off the Penn State scoring in 37th place, running 21:54.49 in an impressive effort for a rookie. Junior Leah Rosenfeld (Ridgefield, Conn.) - running tough despite being sick - finished as the Lions' sixth runner, placing 41st overall in 21:58.15, while freshman Caitlin Lane (Greenwich, N.Y.) completed the Penn State top seven turning in a 48th-place standing in 22:06.12.
"Bridget showed she is a force to be reckoned with on the national scene," continued Sullivan. "And we got outstanding efforts from both Cheryl and Janelle. We upset several ranked teams, and with a healthy Leah Rosenfeld, we know we are a team that will produce at championship time."
Oregon took top honors at home with a 23-point total, followed by Arkansas with 60. The Lions finished third, ahead of Wake Forest (115) in fourth, BYU (126) in fifth, and Portland (151) in sixth. Oregon's Alex Kosinski took home the individual trophy in 20:19.90.
McCandless finished the 8,000-meter course in 25:07.48, turning in a top 40 finish in one of the best fields assembled so far in the 2008 campaign. Senior Dennis Pollow (Ransomville, N.Y.) led a tightly grouped Nittany Lion pack in 47th place, finishing in 25:33.37. Senior Teddy Quinn (Rush, N.Y.) would also record a top 50 standing, placing 49th in 25:35.95. Senior Dennis O'Connor (Philadelphia) and freshman Vince McNally (Smoketown, Pa.) rounded out the Lion top five with 51st and 52nd place finishes, clocking 25:37.67, and 25:40.01, respectively. Seniors John Mahoney (Richboro, Pa.) and Brian Fuller (Camp Hill, Pa.) took 56th and 61st as the Lions' sixth and seventh finishers.
"Tyler continued to lead the charge on a men's squad that struggled a bit with this high-level competition," said Sullivan of the men's team. "We will regroup and focus on the tangibles in both the Big Ten and regional championships.
Oregon - also ranked No. 1 on the men's side - won the team competition with a total of 49 points, followed by Portland with 56 points. Alabama rounded out the top three with a 62-point total. David Kinsella of Portland took the individual title, finishing in 24:02.68.
"I'm confident with our tight pack finishing within first half of the race," said Sullivan. "I believe we can be competitive and reach our goals during the championship portion of the season."
Following a weekend off, the Nittany Lions are set to host the Penn State National on Friday, October 17 at the Blue-White Golf Course.