BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Penn State cross country team was back on the road Friday as the team competed at the Paul Short Invitational at Lehigh University.
The meet showcased some of the top cross country talent from the eastern United States, with 40 teams competing in the men's race and 37 teams competing in the women's race.
It was a strong day for the Penn State women, as the Nittany Lions placed sixth with a team score of 251. Alison Willingmyre was the top finisher among the Penn State runners on the day, crossing the line 31st with a time of 20:41.7. Teammate Sophia Toti was shortly behind, placing 34th at 20:44.7. Penn State had six women's runners place in the top 75 of the race.
On the men's side, Brandon Hontz was the top placing Nittany Lion, finishing 44th at 24:17.9. Eric Hamel was the second Nittany Lion on the leaderboards, finishing 83rd at 24:38.1.
"The women's team came into this meet ready to show who they are as a team this year and they took a great step in showing that," Head Coach John Gondak said. "We were really pleased with how they did today. The men ran shorthanded and it was great to see Brandon Hontz back in uniform today. We look forward to being back at full strength in 2 weeks."
The Nittany Lions will head home for their next two meets, first wrapping up the regular season at the Penn State National Open and then beginning postseason competition when Penn State hosts the Big Ten Cross Country Championships.
Full Results: http://results.tfmeetpro.com/Mitchell_Timing/47th_Lehigh_Paul_Short_Run/