UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State cross country program opened its fall intrasquad schedule on a beautiful afternoon at the Nittany Lion Outdoor Track on Friday, September 25. The Blue/White Two-Mile Meet kicked off the first of four intrasquad races for the Nittany Lions.
The men's squad opened the afternoon with their two-mile contest. The Nittany Lion men toed the line at the Nittany Lion Outdoor Track as they were set for competition for the first time in nearly seven months. As the gun sounded, the men's squad broke out and maintained a very controlled opening mile. The pack of Nittany Lions' clocked approximately 4:40 for the first mile.
The men's team continued to compete in the second mile as Evan Dorenkamp and Chris Hughes remained in the front of the pack.
A big negative split for Dorenkamp and a good kick on the final lap gave him the win on Friday afternoon. Dorenkamp was followed closely by Chris Hughes who placed second in the Nittany Lions' first competition.
Dorenkamp clocked a 9:05 two-mile time for the victory in the Nittany Lions' first team competition since March.
"Today was all about having them compete again," Associate Head Coach Angela Reckart said, "and getting some of the rust off. We had a ball. It was awesome to compete, push ourselves and test our fitness and see how we could close the last little bit. Really impressed with the effort they put in."
The defending Mid-Atlantic Regional champion women's team came to the line shortly after the men's team completed their first fall race of the season.
Similarly to the men's team, the women's squad opened their race with a controlled opening mile.
During the second mile, Faith DeMars and Alison Willingmyre were battling for the lead. It came down to the final lap as DeMars and Willingmyre competed to claim the win.
DeMars clocked 10:32 to finish first and the three-time all-region performer Willingmyre finished in a close second.
In total, the Penn State women's team had six Nittany Lions run under 11 minutes in their first meet of the newly constructed fall season.
"You know how student-athletes are, they like structure. When the season was cancelled (in the fall), we were trying to figure out a way to give them that and keep them excited. When we were able to line things up and simulate a normal season, they were thrilled." Coach Reckart added on the importance of putting together the fall intrasquad season.
The Nittany Lions next intrasquad competition is scheduled for Thursday, October 8 with the Harry Groves Intrasquad Meet. The team will compete at the Blue/White Golf Course where the Nittany Lions will host the Big Ten Cross Country Championships next season.
For more information on Penn State cross country, visit gopsusports.com.