Oct. 13, 2016
Friday, October 14
11:30 a.m. ET - Women's 6K
12:15 p.m. ET - Men's 5.2 Miles
MEET INFO | RESULTS | NATIONAL RESULTS WALL
MEET PREVIEW
| Nationally Ranked Teams | |
| Men | Women |
| #9 Oklahoma State | #8 Penn State |
| #10 Ole Miss | #14 Oklahoma State |
| #19 Virginia | #25 Ole Miss |
| #28 Virginia Tech | #30 West Virginia |
| Texas (RV) | Cornell (RV) |
| Villanova (RV) | William & Mary (RV) |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Following a successful Roy Griak Invitational (Sept. 24), the Penn State cross country teams are back in action this Friday at the annual Penn State National Open at the Blue & White Course in University Park. The Penn State National Open features nationally ranked teams in both the men and women's races.
"We are thrilled that our Penn State National Open is a national caliber meet again," said head coach John Gondak.
"We have a great group of teams coming to Happy Valley this weekend and the weather looks perfect - so it should be a great morning of racing on Friday."
THE MEET
The Women's 6,000 meter race is scheduled to go off at 11:30 a.m. ET, while the Men's 5.2 mile race is slated for an 12:15 p.m. ET start. The meet is being held at the Blue & White Course in University Park, Pa.
LAST TIME OUT
At the Roy Griak Invitational, Jillian Hunsberger led the women to an impressive third-place finish with a team score of 145 points in a field of 34 teams and recorded wins over nationally ranked squads (No. 6 Boise State, No. 10 Michigan, No. 17 Iowa State and No. 20 San Francisco). Colin Abert asserted himself as the men's top finisher leading the Nittany Lions to a 19th-place finish.
LAST TIME AT THE PENN STATE OPEN
At last years meet, the Nittany Lion women recorded a first-place finish, placing three runners in the top-10 and all five scorers inside the top-15 to finish with a score of 37 - the seventh best score in meet history. The Nittany Lion men were also able to place their top five runners in the top-15; their total score of 39 was good enough to secure second place.
RANKED TEAMS
Several ranked teams will be featured at the meet on both the men and women's sides at this year's Penn State National Open. Ranked teams on the men's side include No. 9 Oklahoma State, No. 10 Ole Miss, No. 19 Virginia, and No. 28 Virginia Tech. For the Women, ranked teams include No. 8 Penn State followed by No. 14 Oklahoma State, No. 25 Ole Miss, and No. 30 West Virginia.
ALL-AMERICANS ON THE COURSE
The field this year includes four All-Americans from the 2015 cross country season; Penn State's Tessa Barrett, Oklahoma State's Natalie Baker, William & Mary's Regan Rome, and Villanova's Patrick Tiernan. Barrett was one of just seven freshmen women who earned All-American honors during the 2015 season.
WELCOME TO HAPPY VALLEY
This weekend's Penn State National Open will feature 21 teams from 11 out of the 50 states. Represented at the Penn State Open will be Delaware (1), Maryland (1), Mississippi (1), North Carolina (1), New York (2), Ohio (2), Oklahoma (1), Pennsylvania (6), Texas (1), Virginia (4), and Wyoming (1).
MOVIN' ON UP
Following an impressive third-place finish at the 2016 Roy Griak Invitational in Minneapolis, MN, the Penn State women's cross country team moved up three spots to No. 8 in the latest USTFCCCA poll. The women's team also remains No. 1 in the Mid-Atlantic Region.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Nittany Lions will have a week off before heading back to Minneapolis, MN to compete in the 2016 Big Ten Championships on Oct. 30 at Les Bolstad Golf Course.
For more on Nittany Lion cross country, log onto www.GoPSUsports.com or follow the team on Twitter @PennStateTFXC.