Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell's Cross Country Teams to Compete at Paul Short Run
10/1/2008 8:00:00 AM | Women's Cross Country
Oct. 1, 2008
LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Bucknell men's and women's cross country teams will both be competing in Bethlehem, Pa., on Friday, Oct. 3, at the 35th Annual Lehigh University Brooks Paul Short Run. Forty-six teams will be competing in the men's field, while 45 will participate in the women's meet.
There is a number of nationally ranked teams competing in this event, as determined by the United States Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). On the men's side, two-time defending meet champion Villanova, ranked No. 25 in the country, will be trying to defend its title. Joining them in the race will be No. 6 Wisconsin and No. 30 Syracuse, as well as Princeton, who finished just outside the top-30 in the latest USTFCCCA National Poll. Bucknell's Patriot League rivals American, Army, Colgate, Lafayette and Lehigh will also be in the event.
The Orange and Blue finished 15th out of 41 teams in last year's competition, as current co-captains Clinton Orloski (Butler, Pa./Slippery Rock) and Andrew Huebner (Hampton Falls, N.H./Governor Dummer Academy) both scored for the Bison, finishing 96th and 99th, respectively, out of 270 runners. Bucknell placed ninth out of 42 teams in 2006.
Teams competing in the women's race will be No. 9 West Virginia, No. 12 Wisconsin, No. 16 Baylor and No. 29 Tennessee. One team the Bison will not have to worry about is two-time defending champion Princeton, ranked No. 6 in the nation. The Tigers are only sending a junior varsity team to this year's meet. Army, Colgate, Lafayette, Lehigh and Patriot League Preseason favorite Navy will join Bucknell as representatives of the Patriot League.
Bucknell finished 18th out of 47 teams in last year's race. Current seniors Gillian Nordquist (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston) and Nicole Falcaro (Dingmans Ferry, Pa./Delaware Valley), placed 92nd and 96th, respectively, in last year's meet, while current sophomore Alexa Griffiths (Tamaqua, Pa./Tamaqua) finished 125th. There were 317 individual participants in the 2007 race. The Bison placed eighth out of 35 squads in 2006.
Following Friday's race, the Orange and Blue will not compete again until Saturday, Oct. 18, where they will take part in the Princeton Invitational in Princeton, N.J., site of this year's Mid-Atlantic Regionals.
