Entering this season, Pennsylvania College of Technology cross country Coach Mike Paulhamus said he saw nothing but good things happening for his men's team.
So far, after finishing unbeaten during the Eastern Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference regular season and claiming the end-of-the-season EPCC championship, he's been right on. And Saturday, he hopes it continues at the Pennsylvania Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship Meet.
"We haven't changed a thing since Day One in our practice. The schedule that we've been on through the whole season we've kept for the last two weeks (since the EPCC meet). Everybody's ready," Paulhamus said.
"We're just waiting for the day now and, hopefully, the results will be what we think they should be. We're probably the better team in the league this year and we're hoping that we can fulfill our last goal," the coach continued. "I'm expecting good things."
Running for the Wildcat men's team Saturday at University Park will be Paul Merces (sophomore/Seabright, N.J.), William Dillingham (sophomore/Northern Lebanon), John Foltz (freshman/Lewistown), Dan Arminavage (freshman/Annville-Cleona), Nate Sayre (sophomore/Wellsboro), Joe Adesso (freshman/Exeter), Dave Harrington (freshman/Dunmore), Tyler Hoffman (freshman/Carlisle) and Darryl Childress (freshman/Herndon, Va.).
"Merces is a good candidate for being the individual state champion," Paulhamus said, noting that Dillingham is the defending state champ.
Men will run a 5.2-mile distance over the Penn State Blue Golf Course.
"It's your typical perfect cross country course," Paulhamus said. "It has some flat areas, and a hill that is probably about a half-mile that the guys will run twice. It's a challenging course, but it's all grass, so there's no pavement like other courses that we run. And, if the weather stays dry, it's a fast course, too."
Women running for Penn College on Saturday will be Rachel Dalby, a freshman from Annapolis, Md., and Iris Butler, a freshman from Wellsboro. They will cover a 3 1/2-mile course.