September 3, 2008
Center Valley, Pa.- The American Eagles got off to a great start this season at the Mount St. Mary's Invitational Duals this weekend. Facing stiff competition from George Washington, Mount St. Mary's, Temple, Maryland and UMBC, the American men finished 4-1 and the women finished 4-2. Student-athletes from American and Navy won Patriot League Runner of the Week Honors.
Patriot League Cross Country Release 9.3.08 
Patriot League Male Runner of the Week
Nick Ryan, American So., Cambridge, Mass.
Ryan led the Eagles to a 4-1 mark at the Mount St. Mary's Duals on Friday. The sophomore placed second with a 5k course time of 16:12.45, less than one second behind the meet's winner.
Patriot League Female Runner of the Week
Amy Watson, Navy Jr., Hampstead, Md.
Watson placed first in a field of 66 runners from American, George Washington, Mount St. Mary's, Temple, UMBC and Maryland with a time of 18:46.98 in the 5k. Watson won the race by 10.24 seconds, and helped Navy to a team finish of first of seven teams.
Patriot League Male Rookie of the Week
Josh Olsen, American Fr., Thomaston, Conn.
Olsen helped the Eagles to a 4-1 mark at the Mount St. Mary's 5k Duals on Friday. He placed 12th in the race with a time of 16:29.24 and was the second fastest freshman in the race.
Patriot League Female Rookie of the Week
Octavia Rinehardt, American Fr., Virginia Beach, Va.
Rinehardt was the Eagles' top finisher at the Mount St. Mary's Duals. In her first collegiate race, Rinehardt placed second with a time of 18:57.22, leading the American women to a 4-2 record.
Patriot League Notebook
BACK IN 2008
Colgate's Stacey Marion returns after a phenomenal 2007 campaign. Marion earned the Patriot League Championship Most Outstanding Performer honor and also took home Patriot League Rookie of the Year honors. Marion helped the Raiders earn a third-place finish for the women, finishing her race in 20:53.70.
While the Women's Most Outstanding Performer returns, the Men's winner departs after an outstanding career. American's Brendan Fennell finished his collegiate career with a first-place finish at the Patriot League Championship with a time of 25:00.00. His teammate Steve Hallinan finished right behind him, with a time of 25:21.50. Fennell and Hallinan were two of the three Patriot League runners who qualified for the 2007 NCAA Championship for the first time since 1993. Fennell finished 119th of 250, while Hallinan finished 153rd. Army's John Mickowski completed the Patriot League contingent, finishing with a time of 32:19.2, good for 207th place. Hallinan and Mickowski also recently graduated.
2008 PATRIOT LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP
The 2008 Patriot League Cross Country Championships will take place on Nov. 1 at Lehigh University. The top-14 finishers in both the men and women's race will be awarded All-Patriot League status, with the top-seven being named to the First-Team and the next seven earning Second-Team recognition.
Team Notebooks
American men and women got off to a great start this season, with the men finishing 4-1 and the women finishing 4-2 in the Mount St. Mary's Invitational Duals. American will next compete at the Navy Invitational September 13.
Army hosted the Army Open in West Point, N.Y. this past weekend, in an NTS event. Sophomore Alexis Torre finished the 5k first for the men, while senior Ashley Morgan placed first for the women. Army will host Cornell in a September 12 meet.
Bucknell opened up the `08 campaign by hosting the four-team Bison Open in Lewisburg, Pa. Junior Andrew Huebner finished first in the four miles with a time of 19:52.53.
Colgate did not compete during the first weekend of competition. Colgate hosts the Henry Lang Inviational on Saturday, September 6.
Holy Cross did not compete during the first weekend of competition. The Crusaders will travel to Raleigh, N.C. for the Blue Devil Invitational on Saturday, September 6.
Lafayette competed in the Lehigh Valley Championship this weekend, with the men earning a second-place finish and the women placing third. The Leopards travel back to Bethlehem on September 13 for a meet with rival Lehigh.
Lehigh dominated the Lehigh Valley Championship, with both the men and women's teams clinching the top spots at the meet. Lehigh runners Dan McClimon and Shannon Alejandro won the men and women's races, respectively.
Navy women opened up the season at the Mount St. Mary's Invitational, placing first in both the team and individual races. The men competed at the Richmond Invitational, where they finished second of three teams. The Mids will travel to Fordham for a meet on September 6.
