Cross Country Heads to NCAA Mideast Regionals
On Saturday, November 10, the Penn State
Behrend men's and women's cross country teams will travel to
Lehigh, Pa., for the NCAA Mideast Regionals.
Last season the regionals were held in Dickinson, Pa, where the
men's squad finished 18th of 34 teams. The top finisher for the
Behrend Lions was Kevin Ritzert (Ellwood City/Lincoln) with a time of
27:32. Ritzert was the first male in Behrend history to be named
to the All-Mideast Region Team. The women's squad finished 22nd
out of 35 teams. This was the highest team finish for the Behrend
women at the NCAA Mideast Regionals. The top finisher for the
women was Lyndsey Boor (Columbia Cross Roads/Troy) with a time of
20:49.
The last meet for Penn State Behrend was on Saturday, October 27. The 2001 Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Championships were held at La Roche. The women's team won the championship, while the men's team finished second to Frostburg.
In the men's race Penn State Behrend did
place eight of the top fourteen runners. Junior standout Kevin
Ritzert (Ellwood City/Lincoln) led the charge finishing second overall
in 29:00. Clayton Kirschner (Hilliards/Moniteau) finished fifth in
29:36, while Matt Sprang (Latrobe/Latrobe) was eighth in 29:56. The
Behrend Lions locked up positions 10 through 14 as Mike Bartlett
(Erie/Iroquois), Tim Schulthesis, Dan Alvis, Matt Heidecker, and Dan
Croft placed in front of three Frostburg runners.
In the women's race Penn State Behrend runners paced the championships and placed one through four, and earned seven of the top ten finishers. Jessica Knapp (Erie/McDowell) ran a 21:21 to win the individual title, while fellow sophomore Andrea Sanko (Butler/Butler) was on her heels in a 21:33. Lyndsey Boor (Columbia Cross Roads/Troy) and freshman Clair Manelick (Youngsville/Youngsville) finished in third and fourth in 21:42 and 22:24. Also in the top ten were Suzie Szafran (Bradford/Bradford) in sixth place in 22:37, Jessie Coe (Union City/Union City) in seventh place in 23:06, and Tara Burgess (Union City/Union City) in tenth place in 23:58. Runners who place in the top ten earn AMCC all-conference honors for their efforts.
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