MEET NOTES
MEET HISTORY
- The 2026 Under Armour Pre-National Invitational will be hosted by Indiana State University at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Indiana.
- Since hosting its first major meet, the Pre-National Invitational on Oct. 19, 2002, the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course has served as the site of the NCAA Cross Country Championships on 13 occasions. The course will once again host the national championships on Nov. 21, marking the first time since 2019 that Indiana State has hosted both events.
- Terre Haute earned the nickname "Cross Country Town USA" in 2009 after hosting the NCAA Cross Country Championships seven times in an eight-year span.
2026 EDITION
- The men will compete in the Blue Race 8k starting at 10:40 am on Friday.
- Featured institutions are #26 Arizona, CBU, Clemson, Colorado St., Cornell, DePaul, Duke, Eastern Michigan, Florida State, Illionois Indiana, Iona, #20 Iowa State, IU Indianapolis, Kansas, Kentucky, Liberty, Loyala (Ill.), Miami (Ohio), Michigan, Montana State, NC State, #29 North Carolina, North Dakota, #15 Notre Dame, Ohio, Penn, Pittsburgh, Purdue, South Dakota St. Southern Indiana, Southern Utah, Stephen F. Austin, #8 Syracuse, Toledo, Tulane, UMass Lowell, Utah State, Utah Tech, #26 Utah Valley, Vanderbilt, Villanova, Wichita State, and Wyoming.
- Live results and livestream are available with complete results posted to GoPSUsports.com following the conclusion of competition.
2014 REWIND
- It has been over a decade since Penn State has last competed in Pre-National Invitational since 2014.
- In 2014, Penn State men's finished in the top ten, tying for eighth with a score of 363 points with solid performances.
- Glen Burkhart '16 paced the Nittany Lion men, completing the course in 24:53.2 to finish 36th. He moved up 14 places in the final 3k of the course to place 36th.
- Matt Fischer '15 and Ean DiSilvio '17 finished three seconds apart as Fischer placed 59th in 25:11.2 and DiSilvio posted a time of 25:14.0 to take 66th.
- Wade Endress '16 and Robby Creese '16 rounded out the men's top five as Endress placed 91st in 25:23.4 and Creese clocked 25:31.9 to claim 111th.
LAST TIME OUT
- The Nittany Lion men last competed on October 2 at Lehigh University’s Paul Short Run.
- Senior Nick Sloff won the men’s 8K Gold race in 23:59.8 to earn his first victory of the season.
- He became the first Nittany Lion to win the 8K Gold race since Evan Dorenkamp in 2023, when Dorenkamp posted a then-personal-best time of 23:53.7.
- Sloff's performance earned him U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) NCAA Division I Men’s National Athlete of the Week and Big Ten Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week.
- The Nittany Lions also totaled 129 points to secure second place - their best team finish at the Paul Short Run since winning the title in 2001.
- Behind Sloff, senior Brian DiCola finished 20th in 24:31.3, followed by senior Logan Strawser in 29th (24:41.0) and sophomore Isaac Oppermann in 31st (24:44.7). Sophomore Adam Kingston rounded out Penn State’s five scoring runners in 50th (25:00.2).
- First year Thomas Rae placed 63rd (25:10.1), followed by graduate student Caiden Leen in 79th (25:23.1), sophomore Michael Braun in 110th (25:38.2), freshman Matthew Gosling in 154th (25:58.4) and graduate student Ryan Watson in 170th (26:06.1).
REGIONALLY RECOGNIZED
- The men's team check in at 4th in the region.
FRESH FACES
- The men’s team welcomes five newcomers: Dorian Bening (Woodland Hills, Calif.), Matthew Gosling (Newton, Pa.), Justin Landis (North Wales, Pa.), Colin O’Donnell (Collegeville, Pa.) and Thomas Rae (Leesburg, Va.).
THE RETURNERS
- Men’s cross country welcomes back 12 returners: graduate students Caiden Leen (Downingtown, Pa.) and Ryan Watson (Falls Church, Va.); seniors Jake Borgesi (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Brian DiCola (Horsham, Pa.), Tyler Rader (Huntingdon, Pa.), T.J. Roden (Harrisburg, Pa.), Nick Sloff (State College, Pa.) and Logan Stawser (McAlisterville, Pa.); and sophomores Michael Braun (Worthington, Pa.), Adam Kingston (Lititz, Pa.), Isaac Oppermann (Port Matilda, Pa.) and Jaxon Schodel (Enon Valley, Pa.).
BIG TEN RUNNER TO WATCH
- Senior Nick Sloff was announced a Big Ten Runner to Watch ahead of the 2026 season.
- Sloff emerged as Penn State’s top runner during the 2025 season, finishing as the Nittany Lions’ No. 1 runner in each of his final five meets.
- He placed 23rd at the Big Ten Championships with a time of 24:00.4.
- Sloff finished sixth at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional in 29:37.0, helping Penn State place fourth and earning an individual berth in the NCAA Championships.
- In his first NCAA Championships appearance, Sloff placed 132nd in the men’s 10K with a time of 29:49.2, the best finish by a Penn State men’s runner at the national championships since 2013.
- Sloff became the second Nittany Lion to qualify individually for the NCAA Championships in as many seasons, following Brian DiCola in 2024.
ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS
- During 2025 season, the men collected four top five team finishes (Dolan Duals on Sept. 5, Spiked Shoe on Sept. 12, Princeton Fall Classic on Oct. 17, and NCAA Regionals on Nov. 14).
- At the NCAA Championships, Sloff finished 132nd, marking the highest finish by a Penn State men’s runner since 2013.