Men's Cross Country Places 10th at Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships

Results

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Bucknell men's cross country team placed 10^th overall among the field of 26 schools competing at the 2021 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships on Friday, and two Bison finished among the top 50 out of 174 total competitors. Bucknell entered the meet ranked 12^th and came in two spots ahead of that.

With a score of 282, the Bison finished two spots behind Patriot League Champion Navy (8^th, 213), and two spots ahead of host Lehigh (12^th, 352) in the 10k. Additionally, Bucknell junior Samuel Whittaker led the team with a 32^nd overall finish (31:36.8). Whittaker was the highest-placing runner out of the Patriot League, with a pair of Navy runners also finishing in the top 40.

"Leaving the course today was like night and day compared to 12 days ago. I thought our men ran up to their potential, and I believe the 10k really helps us. Our top 3 of Whittaker, Donnelly and O'Toole really ran up to their potential and put us in a position for a top 10 team finish. They broke up the Navy guys, who pretty much swept us last week. Whittaker was the top Patriot League runner today, so I would say this was a moral victory for our men's team," said head coach Kevin Donner.

Sophomore Michael Donnelly was just outside the top 40 (42^nd, 31:56.8) and was followed closely by senior teammate Brendan O'Toole (51^st, 32:10.6).

Senior Owen Chase, who placed 27^th at the Patriot League Championship on Oct. 31, was next for the Bison at 75^th (32:45.6). Fellow senior Ryan Miele rounded out the scoring for Bucknell at 83^rd (32:53.6).

Also competing for the Orange & Blue was sophomore Brendan Mellitt (103^rd, 33:26.3), who was Bucknell's top finisher in the Patriot League Championships, and junior Noah Martin (107^th, 33:31.4).

As a team, Princeton finished first overall with a score of 40 and was followed by Georgetown (49), Villanova (57), Penn State (130) and Pittsburgh (5).

31 teams compete in the team portion of the NCAA Championships, with 18 bids (Top two in each region) along with 13 at-large bids. The top four individual finishers from each region earn automatic bids to the NCAA Championships, with an additional 38 individuals earning qualification that are not already members of the qualifying teams.