Aug. 21, 2014
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The 2014 cross country season has officially started for the Penn State Nittany Lions. The team kicked off the season earlier this week with paperwork and introductions Tuesday night.
Wednesday morning, the team got their first run in as a group out of the way as they traveled to the Game Lands Loop and then in the afternoon the team partook in core exercises.
The second run of the season took place Thursday morning at the Whipple Dam State Park. After their morning run, the rest of the track & field coaching staff joined the cross country coaches and student-athletes at the Whipple Dam for lunch.
Running as a team to Whipple Dam is a long-lasting tradition for the Penn State cross country program. "It is definitely one of the funner moments of preseason," fifth-year senior Matt Fischer (Kennett Square, Pa.) said. "It's a fun thing, because it's a tradition for the team."
"I think things are going really, really well, we opened up camp yesterday by going out for a run at the Game Lands Loop, which is a fantastic three mile loop we have out a little bit north of town," interim head coach John Gondak said. "I am really happy where the runners are, they put themselves in a great position by training over the summer."
Penn State is hosting three cross country meets this year, including the 2014 NCAA DI Mid-Atlantic Cross Country Regional on Nov. 14. The women's team has their sights set on a sixth consecutive trip to the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships and Fischer is coming off a 78th-place finish at the 2013 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships.
For more on Nittany Lion cross country, log onto www.GoPSUsports.com or follow the team on Twitter @PennStateTFXC.