UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State cross country’s Florence Caron and Brian DiCola were named runners to watch in the first-ever Big Ten cross country preseason watchlist, the conference announced Thursday.
Caron earned both All-Big Ten and All-Region honors during her first cross counry season with Penn State in the fall of 2023. In that solid season, she helped front an outstanding Nittany Lion women’s team that qualified for the NCAA Cross Country Championships for the first time since 2019. Entering the 2024 cross country season, Caron is coming off a pair of Big Ten titles on the outdoor oval in the 5K and 10K events and looks to lead a veteran-laden Penn State women’s cross country squad back to the national championship meet.
As a true freshman, DiCola earned All-Region honors at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships where he helped a young men’s squad finish fourth in the region. With one full season of collegiate training under his belt, DiCola is primed to assume a leading position for the Penn State men’s group as he enters his sophomore cross country slate.
Penn State opens its season at Lock Haven where they will run in the annual Dolan Duals on September 6 against the Bald Eagles. The Nittany Lions will then return to Happy Valley for their only regular season home meet of the 2024 campaign, the Spiked Shoe Invitational on September 13.
FULL SCHEDULE
Date Meet Location
Sept. 6 Dolan Duals Lock Haven, Pa.
Sept. 13 Spiked Shoe Invitational University Park, Pa.
Sept. 27 Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational Madison, Wis.
Oct. 5 Lehigh Paul Short Run Bethlethem, Pa.
Oct. 18 Princeton Fall Classic Princeton, N.J.
Nov. 1 Big Ten Championships Madison, Wis.
Nov. 15 NCAA Regional Championships University Park, Pa.
Nov. 23 NCAA Cross Country Championships Madison, Wis.
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