Cross Country: Penn State on the Horizon
October 15, 2010 01:16 PM | General
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – Poised to head into the championship portion of the season high in confidence, the West Virginia University cross country team will run at the Penn State National on Saturday morning.
The 6K race will take place at 11 a.m. at the Blue and White Golf Course in State College, Pa., where the Mountaineers (24-3) will face off against the likes of No. 1 Villanova, No. 8 Syracuse, Penn State, Tennessee and over 20 other schools. WVU will race all the team members who are healthy and without injury.
“This will be the first time this year that we will not be holding anybody out of competition that is healthy and training well,” says WVU coach Sean Cleary. “We will have a very good idea of who we are as a team after Saturday. Having the opportunity to race against the very best in the country will allow for the environment that we are seeking before the BIG EAST Championship.”
Making her first appearance of the 2010 season after being held out due to injury, junior Ahna Lewis is set to compete. Sophomore Katie Gillespie, who already has two first-place finishes on the year, will also be suiting up for the Mountaineers. Junior Sarah-Anne Brault is also expected to be a leader in the pack.
“Katie loves to be out front hammering,” Cleary says. "This race will allow Katie to gain the experience that will be required for the championship season in terms of having to race in the pack and press the pace at the proper time. Sarah Brault ran a very good race (at the Notre Dame Invitational) and should provide Katie with company in the pack. This should be our strongest lineup of the year.”
Also competing will be seniors Maria Dalzot and Jamie Cokeley, junior Stephanie Caruso and sophomores Hallie Portner, Jordan Hamric and Aubrey Moskal, among others.
Expectations for the race remain the same as they have all year.
“We want to handle the challenges that are put before us as the pressure builds throughout the championship portion of the season,” Cleary says. “We continue to strive for the smallest possible gaps between our 1 to 5 runners. Notre Dame was a step in the right direction, a step that we must continue to shorten. We expect to go into State College and run our best race of the year. Training has gone well, we are progressing well and should continue to do so.”
The course featured Saturday morning will be the same one that the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional will occur Nov. 13.
“Being that we will be back in State College for the NCAA Regionals means that we need to learn all that we can about the course as to prepare for the future,” Cleary says.
Results from the meet will be posted at www.GoPSUsports.com and www.runhigh.com.
The 6K race will take place at 11 a.m. at the Blue and White Golf Course in State College, Pa., where the Mountaineers (24-3) will face off against the likes of No. 1 Villanova, No. 8 Syracuse, Penn State, Tennessee and over 20 other schools. WVU will race all the team members who are healthy and without injury.
“This will be the first time this year that we will not be holding anybody out of competition that is healthy and training well,” says WVU coach Sean Cleary. “We will have a very good idea of who we are as a team after Saturday. Having the opportunity to race against the very best in the country will allow for the environment that we are seeking before the BIG EAST Championship.”
Making her first appearance of the 2010 season after being held out due to injury, junior Ahna Lewis is set to compete. Sophomore Katie Gillespie, who already has two first-place finishes on the year, will also be suiting up for the Mountaineers. Junior Sarah-Anne Brault is also expected to be a leader in the pack.
“Katie loves to be out front hammering,” Cleary says. "This race will allow Katie to gain the experience that will be required for the championship season in terms of having to race in the pack and press the pace at the proper time. Sarah Brault ran a very good race (at the Notre Dame Invitational) and should provide Katie with company in the pack. This should be our strongest lineup of the year.”
Also competing will be seniors Maria Dalzot and Jamie Cokeley, junior Stephanie Caruso and sophomores Hallie Portner, Jordan Hamric and Aubrey Moskal, among others.
Expectations for the race remain the same as they have all year.
“We want to handle the challenges that are put before us as the pressure builds throughout the championship portion of the season,” Cleary says. “We continue to strive for the smallest possible gaps between our 1 to 5 runners. Notre Dame was a step in the right direction, a step that we must continue to shorten. We expect to go into State College and run our best race of the year. Training has gone well, we are progressing well and should continue to do so.”
The course featured Saturday morning will be the same one that the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional will occur Nov. 13.
“Being that we will be back in State College for the NCAA Regionals means that we need to learn all that we can about the course as to prepare for the future,” Cleary says.
Results from the meet will be posted at www.GoPSUsports.com and www.runhigh.com.
Mountaineer Invitational Recap
Thursday, April 16
College Basketball Crown Recap
Thursday, April 16
Andrew Powdrell | April 15
Thursday, April 16
Coach Pat Kirkland | April 15
Thursday, April 16
