Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Cross Country Teams Prepare for 2006 Mid-Atlantic Regional
11/9/2006 7:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
Nov. 9, 2006
LEWISBURG, Pa - On Saturday, Nov. 11, the Bucknell cross country teams will compete in the 2006 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional on the campus of Lock Haven University in Lock Haven, Pa. The women's race is set for 11 a.m. while the men will compete at 12:15 p.m., with the award presentation set fo 2 p.m. With a good individual performance at the competition, some Bison runners could advance to the NCAA Championships on Nov. 20, in Terre Haute, Ind. The women tied for fifth of 26 teams last season while the men finished 15th of 28 teams.
The women's team will be led by seniors Leanna Nastase (Beaverdale, Pa./Forest Hills) Jenny Stevens (Laceyville, Pa./Wyalusing Valley), junior Erin Cranmer-Hart, and sophomores Nicole Falcaro (Dingmans Ferry, Pa./Delaware Valley) and Gillian Nordquist (Clarkstown, Mich./Clarkston), who all scored in the top 10 en route to their second straight Patriot League Championship.
Nastase won the individual Patriot League title with a time of 23 minutes, six seconds. The Beaverdale, Pa. native has been Bucknell's top performer this season, finishing first on the team in four out of five meets including a 66th place finish at the NCAA Pre-National Championships. Stevens, who has battled through injuries in the middle of the season placed sixth overall at the PL Championships with at time of 24:03. The senior finished first for the team and 11th overall in the meet last year, with at time of 21:04. Cranmer-Hart has stepped up for the Bison posting a second-place finish at the league championships with at time 23:25, which was good for second overall in the competition. Falcaro and Nordquist tallied ninth and 10th place-finishes at championships, respectively. Falcaro crossed the plane with a time of 24:28, while Nordquist notched a time of 24:32.
"Our women are looking to be in the top five," said head coach and three-time PL Coach of the Year Kevin Donner. "Nastase has the hot hand and Cranmer-Hart is gaining confidence. Stevens is just starting to round back into form after a mid-season injury, so hopefully we can get three runners in the top 20."
On the men's side, the Bison will be led by senior Matt Forys (Howell, N.J./Howell) and juniors Wallace Campbell (Montgomery, Ala./Montgomery Academy) and Andrew Corral (Bellport, N.Y./Bellport).
Forys has been the top finisher in every race for Bucknell that he has competed in this season including a third-place finish overall at the Patriot League Championships and a 73rd-place showing at the NCAA Pre-National Championships. The senior finished 54th in the in Mid-Atlantic Regional last season with a time of 31:51. Campbell won the Bison Open this season and posted a ninth-place finish at the PL Championships with a time of 26:26. Corral placed 16th in the championship with at time of 26:49.
Also looking to give the Bison a strong finish are junior Michael Gibney (Wading River, N.Y./Shoreham Wading River) and sophomore Donald Sanner (Meyersdale, Pa./Meyersdale).
Gibney, who finished second for the Bison at the 2005 Mid-Atlantic Regional collected a 22nd-place finish at the PL Championships, while Sanner crossed the line 30th.
"Our goal is to finish in the top 10 as a team," said Donner. "Forys and Campbell are in the running for an individual shot at the NCAA's."
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