UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State cross country team had a strong day on the course Friday when the team hosted the Penn State National Open at the Blue & White Golf Courses.
The day was highlighted by a race victory for Evan Dorenkamp, who won the 5.2-mile men's race with a time of 25:26.9. It marked the junior's first cross country win as a Nittany Lion. Also placing in the top five was senior Brandon Hontz, who placed fifth with a time of 25:44.7. On the backs of five top 30 finishers, the Nittany Lion men placed second as a team with a score of 70.
The Penn State women followed their strong performance at the Paul Short Run with another solid team showing, placing fourth as a unit with a team score of 123. Sophia Toti (16, 21:28.5) and Madaline Ullom (17, 21:32.6) led the charge for the Nittany Lions, who were one of two teams with seven runners finishing in the top 40.
The team now heads to the postseason on a high-note, turning its attention to the Big Ten Cross Country Championships in two weeks. The meet will be held at Penn State for the first time since 2009.
FROM THE SOURCE: Head Coach John Gondak
"Another great day for the Penn State National Open. The conditions were quite challenging with the high humidity and the heat which was highly unusual for the middle of October, but I thought our teams handled it well. The women executed the race plan. They maybe had a few small struggles at the end of the race that we'll work on to be better when we host Big Tens in two weeks.
The men kept coming and coming. It was fantastic to see Evan pull off the win and the group finish in second place as a team. It was a close one for sure with how well Cornell and Pitt ran. Congratulations to those teams. I am pleased with how our guys fought and I am looking forward to see what they can do at the conference meet."
