Bucknell Cross Country to Race at Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships Saturday

Nov. 13, 2009

LEWISBURG, Pa. - Two weeks after the women's squad won the title and the men pulled off a third-place upset at the Patriot League Championships, the Bucknell cross country teams will look to continue their winning ways at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships in Princess Anne, Md., on Saturday. The meet, which is the qualifying competition for the national championships, is slated to begin at noon.

MEN'S NOTEBOOK

Bucknell will race at 12 p.m. on Saturday. Among Bucknell's opponents at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships are nationally ranked Georgetown and Villanova. In the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) national poll, Georgetown was 15th, followed by the 20th-ranked Villanova.
The last time the Bucknell men's squad was on the course, it surprised its league foes by finishing third at the Patriot League Championships in Hamilton, N.Y. After being picked fifth in the league's preseason poll, the Bison jumped into the top half of the field behind strong performances from both the unexpected and usual suspects. Andrew Huebner (Hampton Falls, N.H./The Governor's Academy) and Kevin McGoldrick (West Chester, Pa./Henderson) have led the Bison throughout the year, and that continued as they both finished in the top 10. Charles Murphy (Short Hills, N.J./Millburn) and Baron Willeford (New Orleans, La./Columbia Prep (N.Y.)) also moved up among Bucknell's top finishers, scoring at the championship meet.
McGoldrick and Huebner both earned First Team All-Patriot League honors for their finishes. Huebner was fifth overall with an eight-kilometer time of 26 minutes, 33 seconds. McGoldrick was right behind, taking seventh in 26:34.
Conor McNamara (Baldwin, N.Y./Chaminade) was the Bison's third finisher at the league meet. The senior placed 17th in a time of 27:02 despite having to overcome the unexpected obstacle of losing a shoe during the race.
With the strong placing at the Patriot League Championships, Bucknell earned its highest ranking in the USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Region poll. The latest ranking put the Bison in seventh, one spot behind American.
At last year's Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships, Bucknell finished 12th as a team. The Bison will return three of their top five finishers from that race in Stephen Dorsey (North Wales, Pa./La Salle HS), Willeford and Huebner. Former Bison Clinton Orloski was the team's top finisher in 2008. Georgetown won the 2008 men's title on the 10K course at Princeton.

WOMEN'S NOTEBOOK

The Bucknell women's team will race at 1:15 p.m. on Saturday. The Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships should be one of the most competitive in the country. Five nationally ranked teams in No. 2 Villanova, No. 4 Princeton, No. 7 West Virginia, No. 11 Penn State and No. 12 Georgetown will be included in the field. No other region in the country has more teams ranked in the USTFCCCA's top 15, and only the West has more top-30 teams with six.
The Bison are ranked sixth in the USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Regional poll, trailing only those nationally ranked squads. The placing marks the highest of the season for the Orange and Blue.
Bucknell claimed the first Patriot League championship of 2009 two weeks ago by taking the women's title for the eighth year in program history. Despite being picked to finish second in the league's preseason poll, Bucknell defeated defending champion Navy, which placed third. The squad from Army took second.
A trio of Bison earned All-League honors at the meet. Stephanie Fulmer (Pottstown, Pa./St. Pius X) led the way. Her sixth-place finish earned her first-team recognition, while Sarah Moniz (Topsfield, Mass./Masconomet Regional) and Alexa Griffiths (Tamaqua, Pa./Tamaqua) both earned places on the Second Team. Head coach Kevin Donner claimed an award of his own, being named the Patriot League Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year for the fourth time in his career.
Fulmer, Moniz and Griffiths were not the only Bison to have a major impact on the team's success. Melissa Smith (Mercer, Pa./Mercer Area) and Lauren Wiemken (Howell, N.J./Howell) were the Bison's sixth and seventh finishers, respectively. Their outings helped Bucknell to secure the team title and led Donner to declare them the race's "unsung heroes."
At last year's Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships, Bucknell took eighth place as a team, one spot behind Navy. Returning to the course for the Bison will be Griffiths and Fulmer, who were the team's top two finishers a year ago. Griffiths was 48th overall on the 6K course at Princeton, followed by Fulmer in 49th. Princeton and West Virginia tied for first in the 2008 team standings.

UP NEXT
The Bison will continue their championship march next week. Following the Mid-Atlantic Regional meet, Bucknell will travel to Bronx, N.Y., for the IC4A and ECAC Championships.

Bucknell University Athletics

Bucknell Cross Country to Race at Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships Saturday

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