UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State cross country team will host the Spiked Shoe Invitational on Friday, September 8 on the Blue & White Golf Courses. The collegiate women's race is set to begin at 9 a.m. with the men's 5.2-mile race starting at 9:45 a.m.
Penn State's regional rankings remain the same heading into the Spiked Shoe Invitational, with the women's team sitting at No. 4 and the men's squad coming in at No. 6 in the most recent polls. Multiple Mid-Atlantic Regional teams will be traveling to Happy Valley on Friday for their first crack at regional competition.
Women's Field (7): West Virginia (No. 2 in Mid-Atlantic Region), Syracuse (No. 4 in Northeast Region), Pittsburgh (No. 7 in Mid-Atlantic Region), Youngstown State, Duquesne, Temple, Buffalo
Men's Field (6): Syracuse (No. 1 in Northeast Region), Pittsburgh (No. 4 in Mid-Atlantic Region), Youngstown State (No. 10 in Great Lakes Region), Duquesne, Temple (No. 9 in Mid-Atlantic Region), Buffalo (No. 13 in Northeast Region)
FOLLOW ALONG | Live Results
Following a schedule adjustment on Wednesday afternoon due to inclement weather, all four races on Friday will take place one hour earlier than originally scheduled. The first event of the day will begin at 9 a.m. with each of the next three races taking place in 45-minute increments, concluding with a pair of high school 5Ks.
PENN STATE OUTLOOK
The Nittany Lions are coming off of a solid season opener last Friday at Lock Haven. Sophomore Ryan Watson was awarded Big Ten Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Week for his first-place performance against Lock Haven in which he ran a personal-best 17:48. On the women's side, Mid-Atlantic All-Region honoree Faith DeMars took the top spot in her own personal-best 4K run (13:39.6).
FOLLOW THE NITTANY LIONS
Follow along with the team on our social media pages on Facebook (PennStateTFXC) and X/Instagram (@pennstatetfxc). Live updates on race day regarding weather, start times, and other important notes will be posted on X.
