Nov. 9, 2016
Friday, November 11
12:00 p.m. ET - Women's 6K
1:00 p.m. ET - Men's 10K
MEET INFO | RESULTS | PARKING
MEET PREVIEW
| Nationally Ranked Teams | |
| Men | Women |
| #22 Georgetown | #9 Penn State |
| #28 Penn | #21 Villanova |
| #24 Penn | |
| #27 West Virginia | |
| Georgetown (RV) | |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's and women's cross country teams are hosting the 2016 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional at the Blue-White Golf Course Friday (Nov. 11). The meet starts at noon with the women's 6,000-meter run, followed by the men's 10,000-meter run at 1 p.m.
THE MEET
The women's 6,000-meter run features 32 teams, four of which are ranked in the latest United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Poll. No. 9 Penn State, No. 21 Villanova, No. 24 Penn University, No. 27 West Virginia and Georgetown (RV) comprise the ranked teams in the women's race.
In the men's 10,000-meter run, 26 teams will be competing, including No. 22 Georgetown and No. 28 Penn University.
The top two teams from each race will automatically advance to the NCAA meet (Nov. 19), while the rest of the teams will hope for an at-large bid.
Individually, 36 runners will automatically advance to the NCAA meet if they are the top four individual finishers that placed in the top-25 at their regional meet and are not on a NCAA-qualifying team. Two runners will also receive an at-large bid, but they must also finish in the top-25 at their regional meet.
PARKING FOR CROSS COUNTRY
Premium parking will be available for the NCAA Cross Country Meet in Red Lot A for $5.00 per vehicle. Turn off Atherton Street to White Course Drive and stay in the left lane near the kiosk to purchase a pass. The Cross Country Course is located directly beside the Red Lot A parking lot. You may also park at the Nittany Deck for $1/hr.(See attached map)
LAST TIME OUT
Paced by All-Big Ten performers Tessa Barrett, Jillian Hunsberger and Elizabeth Chikotas, the Penn State women's cross country team finished second at the Big Ten Championships with a score of 70 Sunday afternoon at the Les Bolstad Golf Course. The Penn State men's team finished ninth with a total score of 250.
The Nittany Lions battled throughout the 6-kilometer course trailing Michigan and Michigan State at the halfway point. Strong performances from Penn State's No. 4 and No. 5 runners Greta Lindsley and Kathryn Munks helped Penn State place all five runners inside the Top 30, including three runners in the Top 10.
Tessa Barrett was the top finisher on the day for Penn State crossing the line in third-place (21:04.8). Following Barrett was Jillian Hunsberger (21:09.3) in seventh-place and Elizabeth Chikotas (21:23.8) in 10th-place. Barrett (First-Team), Hunsberger (First-Team) and Chikotas (Second-Team) combined to bring home three All-Big Ten honors.
Finishing fourth for the Nittany Lions was Greta Lindsley (21:47.4) in 24th-place followed by Kathryn Munks (21:57.4) in 27th-place to round out scoring for Penn State.
Also competing for the women's team were Victoria Crawford (22:47.7) in 67th-place, Julie Kocjancic (22:55.1) in 69th-place, Rachel Banks (23:18.9) in 86th-place and Hannah Catalano (23:41.3) in 96th-place.
The second-place finish by Penn State secured the first Top-Two finish in back-to-back years at the Big Ten Cross Country Championships in Program history.
On the men's side, Penn State traversed through a treacherous course to claim a ninth-place finish with a score of 250 on the day.
Tim McGowan (25:17.7) and Colin Abert (25:19.2) finished side by side in 25th and 28-place, respectively, to lead the way for the Nittany Lions.
Rounding out scoring for Penn State were John McGowan (26:04.5) in 67th-place, Bobby Hill (26:09.5) in 71st-place and Brandon Tubby (26:30.7) in 85-place.
Also competing in Sunday's championships were Conrad Lippert (26:43.8), Billy McDevitt (26:55.8), and William Loevner (28:11.0).
LAST YEAR AT THE MID-ATLANTIC REGIONAL
Led by redshirt freshman Tessa Barrett, the Penn State women's cross country team captured their first Mid-Atlantic Regional title Friday in Princeton, N.J. since they hosted the event in 2012.
Penn State placed five runners inside the top-25, defeating Georgetown, and host Princeton by a score of 60-75- 80, respectively
Tessa Barrett (Waverly, Pa.), who redshirted the 2014 season, led the Nittany Lions through the finish line in her first Mid-Atlantic Regional recording a fourth-place finish in a time of 21:02.2.
Following Barrett were senior Tori Gerlach (Perkasie, Pa.) close behind in sixth-place (21:09.9), followed by Elizabeth Chikotas (Hellertown, Pa.) in 10th-place (21:15.4), Julie Kocjancic (Pittsburgh, Pa.) in 19th-place (21:29.4), and Jillian Hunsberger (Pittsburgh, Pa.) rounding out scoring in 21st-place with a time of 21:32.7.
Running as the No. 6 and No.7 for Penn State were Greta Lindsley (Lancaster, Pa.) in 28th-place (21:48.4) and Stephanie Aldrich (West Chester, Pa.) in 49th-place (22:11.3.)
For the men, junior Conner Quinn (Horsham, Pa.) and senior Wade Endress (Altoona, Pa.) paced the Nittany Lion team, running in up front well through the fourth mile of the race.
Quinn finished as the top Lion on the day recording an 11th-place finish in a time of 31:07.8.
Finishing less than a minute behind Quinn were Ean DiSilvio (Pittsburgh, Pa.) in 18th-place (31:26.1), Robby Creese (Mount Airy, Md.) in 25th-place (31:32.4), Colin Abert (Easton, Pa.) in 26th-place (31:36.4), Wade Endress in 31st-place (31:42), and Timothy McGowan (Northport, N.Y.) in 45th-place (31:54.4) running as the No. 7 for Penn State. John Dugan (Ramsey, N.J.) wrapped up competition for Penn State at the Mid-Atlantic Regional crossing the line in 32:35.0 for a 70th-place finish.
For their efforts at the Mid-Atlantic Regional, Barrett, Gerlach, Chikotas, Kocjancic, Hunsberger, Quinn, DiSilvio, and Creese garnered All-Region honors following the meet.
USTFCCCA RANKINGS
The women's team is currently ranked No. 9 in the nation by the USTFCCCA. At the regional level, the women are ranked first and the men are sixth.
BACK-TO-BACK
The Penn State women's cross country team tallied a 16th-place finish at the 2015 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships and look to compete in the championship meet in back-to-back seasons. The Penn State women have competed in seven of the last eight NCAA meets as a team.
LOOKING AHEAD
The 2016 NCAA Cross Country Championships are slated for Nov. 19 at the LaVern Gibson Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Ind. The women's 6,000-meter run is scheduled for 11 a.m., followed by the men's 10,000-meter run at 12 p.m.
For more on Nittany Lion cross country, log onto www.GoPSUsports.com or follow the team on Twitter @PennStateTFXC.