Red Raider Cross Country Gears Up For PSAC Championship Meet At Kutztown

Oct. 25, 2007

Conference information provided by Lauren Packer, PSAC Director of Media Relations

KUTZTOWN, Pa. - Kutztown University is the site for the 2007 Cross Country Championships. The race will take place on Saturday, Oct. 27, on KU’s North Campus Course, and the men’s 8,000-meter race will begin at 11:00 a.m. Admission is free, while parking and a championship program will be $5 per car. Additional programs are $2 each.

The 50th championship season of PSAC men’s cross country will be marked with Saturday's meet. Shippensburg will be vying for another strong showing, having finished fourth at last year's championships. The Red Raider squad is particularly on a roll of late, having won its last three meets after a disappointing performance at the Paul Short Invitational.

Freshman Bryan Beegle (Gettysburg/ Gettysburg) has been the top finisher in every meet this season for Shippensburg, and has finished in the top three for three consecutive weeks and the top ten in every meet this season. Meanwhile, junior Stephen Thompson (Northumberland/Shikellamy) has been a top-five finisher for each of the past three weeks and has been another integral member of the rotation.

“We have at this point three front runners that should be vying for all conference honors,” head coach Steve Spence said of Beegle, Thompson and sophomore Jeremy Brady (Heidelberg AFB/Heidelberg American).

Perennial power Edinboro has battled all comers over the past three decades and has come out on top more often than not, winning 25 of the previous 49 championships. From 1984-2002, The Scots won a whopping 18 of 19 titles.

However, it has been Lock Haven that has won the team title the past four years to derail the ‘Boro train. This year Slippery Rock seeks its first crown since 1991, which marked the only blip on Edinboro’s impressive 19-year run.

The Rock is led by Jeff Weiss and Pat Reagan, who was ranked No. 6 in the nation and first in the region in the October 16 poll by the U.S. Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association. Weiss, a two-time All-American, is a past PSAC Champion, winning the title in 2005 before finishing second last fall.

In order to run with the Rock’s leaders, Edinboro All American Dave Niemera and Josh Arthur will be truly tested. Edinboro was ranked ninth in Division II and second in the region in the most recent polls. The key will be which team can get its scoring five among the top 15 to score under 50 points.

Who will be the 2007 champion appears to be a two-way way battle, yet the competition for the next several spots will be just as heated, with any of eight teams batting for third place.

The four-time defending champions from Lock Haven have some NCAA experience on the squad in Brandon Pomerantz and Shawn More, and will not give up the title defense without a fight.

East Stroudsburg and Mansfield have the luxury of having national caliber front runners in Iuri Pinto and Chris Cummings, respectively, but both teams will need big efforts from their fourth and fifth runners to be a factor in the team standings.

West Chester’s Tom Pearson has had an outstanding regular season and if he parlays that success into the postseason, the Golden Rams will have an addition to the top 10 individuals and help propel the team to the upper echelon.

The Golden Bears of Kutztown are looking for the home course advantage that may move a talented group to a surprise finish. Bloomsburg and Millersville will go as far as their packs can take them.

If either team gets all five in the top third of the event, they could be pushing their way among the top of this group. California (Pa.) has shown some promise during early October and could be a team that may be moving toward a new high for the Vulcans.

Cheyney, and Indiana (Pa.) are in a rebuilding mode. Finishing in the top 10 for the Wolves or Crimson Hawks would be a starting point for their futures.

- Red Raider Cross Country -