Cross Country Wraps Up Regular Season this Weekend at Princeton and Gettysburg

LEWISBURG, Pa. – With just one event left to prepare for the Patriot League Championships, Bucknell head cross country coach Kevin Donner will send runners to two separate invitationals on Saturday. One group of men and women runners will travel to compete in the Princeton Invitational, while others will compete at the Gettysburg Invitational.

The Princeton Invitational will consist of over 50 collegiate teams and more than 1,300 runners. The Bison will send 10 athletes from the men's team and 10 from the women's team.

Last season's Gettysburg Invitational included over 50 men's and women's teams combined, with both races consisting of nearly 300 runners.

Bucknell last sent runners to Princeton in 2011. John Dugan, now a senior for the Bison, took 53^rd out of 139 runners. The Bison last competed at Gettysburg in 2012 when they took second out of 35 teams. Andrew Kuchta, then a freshman, paced that effort with a ninth-place finish out of 389 runners.

“Our top guys have not raced for three weeks, so I am excited to see how much we have developed since the UVA meet,” Donner said. “This is our last meet until leagues, so our championship lineups will start to take shape. The Princeton meet looks large and competitive, so it will be a great challenge for us.”

The Bucknell women's last trip to Gettysburg was in 2012. The Bison's third-place finish out of 36 teams was spearheaded by Becky Snelson, who took 17^th in a field of 394 runners.

The Bison's depth has been on display all season long. Sending out a varying mix of runners to each event, the women have won three of the four scored invitationals in which they have competed. Their most recent title came at the 40-team Paul Short Run at Lehigh University on Oct. 4.

“Although we have split our teams a couple of times since early September, it did seem like we had two different “A” teams traveling to different meets with much success,” Donner said. “Now we will consolidate them to see who will make up our top seven varsity lineup for the championship meets. The Princeton meet will be competitive and we will definitely be challenged.”

In addition to the team effort, the Bucknell women will have a freshman runner with a chance to achieve an individual record. Brennan Sharkey can become the first Patriot League runner to win four Rookie of the Week awards in one season.

Sharkey's top competition for the honor could include her own teammate. Christine Bendzinski has already won the award once and led the Bison to the title at Lehigh by taking eighth out of 360 runners.

Following this weekend's events, the Bison will set their sights on the Patriot League Championships, which will be held at Lehigh on Saturday, Nov. 1.