Penn College cross-country teams seek titles

Eight men and five women are expected to represent Pennsylvania College of Technology on Saturday in the United East Championship meets hosted by Cairn University in Langhorne.

They include Dillon Betts, of Manchester, New Jersey; Noah Bowers, of Burnham; Mitchell Campbell, of Riegelsville; Chase Ebeling, of Bellefonte; Holden Furey, of Williamsport; Jacob Parker, Weatherly; Alec Rees, of Centerport, New York; and Matt Woolcock, of Oil City, on the men’s team; and Elaina Brady, of Big Cove Tannery; Natalie Greiner, of Mount Joy; Sofia Laspina, of Bellmore, New York; Kayleigh Miller, of Sayre; and Skyelar Splain, of Liverpool, on the women’s squad.

“Overall, it has been a positive season for both the women and the men. It seems that our athletes are enjoying the challenge of being collegiate runners and have formed bonds and friendships that will hopefully last beyond their days at PCT. I am proud of the work that everyone has done and of their improved performances,” second-year coach Tom Leeser said heading into the conference championship meet.

“On the women's side, we continue to struggle with a lack of depth and have been competing with the minimum of five runners. Despite our low numbers, the women have improved steadily from the start of the season. Elaina Brady and Skyelar Splain have been our top two runners and hope to crack the top 20 at the UE conference meet,” Leeser continued.

At the United East Preview in mid-September, the Penn College women finished sixth in a nine-team field.

“The men's team has benefited from some outstanding internal leadership from a few of our returners. The group has been focused and driven. We ran well at Cairn (the site of the championships and where the men finished first among 11 teams in September) and will need a similar performance. A lot can happen in big races and there will be quality competition at championships. Our focus will be on trusting our training and giving our best effort on race day,” Leeser said.

“It’s challenging,” Leeser said of the Cairn course. “There is some change in elevation and also some tricky turns, especially in the men’s race. We ran well previously, so we will hope for the same on Saturday. The weather forecast for the week looks good. It may even be a bit warmer than desired by race day.

“Most of our athletes do a nice job of controlling their nerves and emotions. They have done the training throughout the year and particularly in the past three months. ‘The hay is in the barn.’

“The women will focus on improving their times and overall team standing. Elaina and Skyelar could be in the mix for all-conference team honors if they can finish in the top 21.  

“The goal for the men since the start of our season has been to be in the mix for the conference team championship. There are several quality teams to contend with and scoring is difficult to predict in large meets. Every one of our top seven will have an impact on where the team ends up. We will do all we can to get ourselves right mentally and physically this week and then go compete on Saturday.”

Schedule/Results
Saturday, Oct. 28 – UE Championships at Cairn University, 11 a.m.
Saturday, Nov. 11 – NCAA Division III Mid-Atlantic Championships, men’s 8K race 11 a.m., women’s 6K race noon (hosted by Susquehanna University at Lock Haven University’s West Branch Cross-Country Course)

For more about the United East, visit the conference website .
For additional information, visit the Wildcats Athletics website .

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