Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional
Bucknell Men's Cross Country Runner Matt Forys Posts Fifth-Place Showing at 2006 Mid-Atlantic Regional
11/11/2006 7:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
Nov. 11, 2006
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - Senior Matt Forys (Howell, N.J./Howell) will represent the Bucknell men's cross country team in the 2006 NCAA Championships in Terre Haute, Ind., on Nov. 20, after posting a fifth-place finish with a time of 30 minutes, 40 seconds at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional at Lock Haven University on Saturday. Forys led the Bison to an 11th-place finish out of 25 teams with a total of 291 points. Forys became the sixth runner in Bucknell history to qualify for the championships, and the first since Greg Costello in 2001.
No. 15-ranked Georgetown (66), American (79), Villanova (91), Princeton (148), and Penn State (164) finished in the top five positions. Other teams to finish in front of the Bison were Penn and Navy, who finished eighth and ninth. Bucknell completed the race before Patriot League opponents Lehigh and Lafayette.
Behind Forys, juniors Wallace Campbell (Montgomery, Ala./Montgomery Academy) and Michael Gibney (Wading River, N.Y./Shoreham Wading River) broke the plane 37th and 69th, respectively. Campbell, who improved on his 117th-place finish a year ago, crossed the line with a time of 31:40, while Gibney posted a time of 32:38.
Junior Andrew Corral (Bellport, N.Y./Bellport) and sophomore Clinton Orloski (Butler, Pa./Slippery Rock) rounded out Bucknell's top five. Corral finished in 85th place with a time of 32:51, while Orloski finished 96th, posting a time of 33:05.
"Matt Forys ran one of the best races he has ever run in his life," said head coach Kevin Donner. "To qualify for the national championships is a great honor for him and our program. We finished 11th but our goal was a top-10. We struggled a bit at the four and five spots, however, I am very proud of the season our guys gave us this year. We re-established our program to the level that Bucknell expects."
The Bucknell men's cross country team will compete in the IC4A Championships in Bronx, N.Y. for its final team event of the 2006 season on Nov. 18.
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