Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Cross Country Heads to Penn State National Invitational on Friday
10/14/2009 8:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country
Oct. 14, 2009
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell cross country will continue its run of challenging competition at big meets when it travels to University Park, Pa., for the Penn State National Invitational on Friday. The men's field will feature the defending meet champion and 10th-ranked team in the nation in Georgetown, while the women will go up against four nationally ranked squads in the 29-team field. Competition is set to begin at 10 a.m. at the Blue/White Golf Course.
In addition to the nationally ranked foes, Bucknell will face in-state opponents from La Salle, Lehigh, Lock Haven, Penn and Shippensburg, among others. The Bison will also see Duquesne for the third time this fall. A complete list of opponents can be found at gopsusports.com.
The last time Bucknell raced at the Penn State National Invitational was in 2005. Leading the Bison were former student-athletes Jenny Stevens (41st out of 259) and Matt Forys (47th out of 294).
MEN'S NOTEBOOK
- The men's team will race the 5.2 mile course at 10 a.m.
- For the second consecutive week, the Bison are ranked 10th in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Mid-Atlantic Region poll. They are the second Patriot League team to enter the poll, placing behind the fourth-ranked squad from Navy. Four other teams ranked in the top 10 of the regional poll will also compete at the Penn State National Invitational, including No. 1 Georgetown, No. 5 La Salle, No. 7 Penn State and No. 9 Penn.
- Bucknell had a strong outing two weeks ago at the Paul Short Memorial Run at Lehigh. The Orange and Blue finished 19th as a team in a field of 42 squads. For the third straight meet, Andrew Huebner (Hampton Falls, N.H./The Governor's Academy) was the first Bison to cross the line, taking 42nd in a time of 24:29 over eight kilometers. Huebner's Gold Race featured 386 runners.
WOMEN'S NOTEBOOK
- The women's team will compete at 11 a.m. on the 6K course.
- Like their male counterparts, the Bison women also maintained their ranking in the USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Region poll. The squad was ranked ninth in both the Oct. 5 and Oct. 11 standings. Also like the men's squad, the women are second in the Patriot League behind No. 8 Navy. Joining Bucknell from the Mid-Atlantic Region at the Penn State National Invitational are No. 2 West Virginia, No. 4 Penn State, No. 5 Georgetown, No. 6 Penn and No. 10 La Salle.
- At the Paul Short Memorial Run on Oct. 2, Bucknell earned a respectable 13th-place team finish out of 40 teams. The Bison were led by the trio of Sarah Moniz (Topsfield, Mass./Masconomet Regional), Alysha Hooper (Meaford, Ontario/St. Mary's) and Stephanie Fulmer (Pottstown, Pa./St. Pius X). Moniz finished 59th out of 363 runners with a 6K time of 21:37.
- Fulmer made a solid appearance in her first meet of the season. After missing the first three races of the year, the former First Team All-Patriot League selection finished 66th overall. At 21:41, she was one place and one second behind classmate Hooper.
UP NEXT
The Bison will stay in Pennsylvania for their next meet on Saturday, Oct. 24 at Bloomsburg University. The meet was recently added to the Orange and Blue's schedule. The women will race at 10 a.m., followed by the men at 10:30.
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