Sept. 20, 2010

Center Valley, Pa. -- The 2009 Patriot League individual champions shined over the weekend.

Elise DeRoo set a school-record and won the Colgate Invitational and Andrew Hanko won the Salty Dog Invitational, as both claimed their respective Runner of the Week awards.

Navy's Rachael Honrath won her third Rookie of the Week award, and Bucknell's Chris Sacks won his second.

09.20.10 Cross Country Weekly Release

Team Notebooks

AMERICAN The Eagles competed at Navy's Salty Dog Invitational with the men's team finishing third and the women's team placing sixth. Jeff Brannigan led the men with a fifth-place finish (24.14.7), setting a new personal record. Octavia Rinehardt placed third on the women's side with a 22:15.2. It is the second straight meet that she has placed in the top three. American will be idle next week before the men travel to the Notre Dame Invitational at 10 a.m. Oct. 1 and the women compete at the George Mason Invitational at 10 a.m. Oct. 2. 

ARMY The Black Knights competed at the Iona Meet of Champions with the men placing sixth and the women finishing 10th. Mike Mitchell led the men with his 16th-place finish (25:37.34) in a field of 207 runners. Army will be idle until it travels to the Paul Short Invitational at 10 a.m. Oct. 1.

BUCKNELL The Bison traveled to Pittsburgh to compete against Duquesne and Pitt in a dual meet with the men finishing second and the women taking first. Stephanie Fulmer led the women's team again, picking up her second individual win. She completed the 5K course in 18:00. Sarah Moniz finished second overall in 18:08. Keith Sansone was the top finisher on the men's side, placing eighth in the 8K (25:53). Bucknell is idle this week and will return with a trip to the Paul Short Invitational at 10 a.m. Oct. 1.

COLGATE The Raiders hosted the Colgate Invitational with the men placing second and the women finishing third. Elise DeRoo won the individual title and set the new school record with her time of 21:07. She beat her own personal record of 22:24 in the 6K. Ed Sheridan set a new personal record as well, placing sixth in 25:38. Colgate will have the weekend off to prepare for the Paul Short Invitational at 10 a.m. Oct. 1.

HOLY CROSS The Crusaders were busy last weekend, competing at the National Catholic Championships Friday and the UMass-Dartmouth Invitatioanl Saturday. The men finished seventh and the women were eighth at the National Catholic Championships, and the men and women both placed 14th at the UMass-Dartmouth Invitational. Paige Sutherland led the women's team at the National Catholic Championships, placing 10th out of 280 runners (18:05). Dan Altenau was 20th out of 285 (25:41) on the men's side. The Crusaders are idle this weekend and will return to the course at 10 a.m. Oct. 2 for the Murray Keatinge Invitational.

LAFAYETTE The Leopards were idle last week and will return to the course when it hosts Lehigh in a dual meet 9:45 a.m. Saturday.

LEHIGH The Mountain Hawks competed at the Iona Meet of Champions with the men placing 12th and the women finishing sixth. Evans Kosgei led the men finishing the 8K in 25:44.9 to place 18th out of 207 runners. Katherine Pierce was the women's top finisher for the sixth straight meet, placing 10th out of 164 in 22:25.9. Lehigh will travel to Lafayette for a dual meet at 9:45 a.m. Saturday.

NAVY The Midshipmen hosted the Salty Dog Invitational at Annapolis, Md., with the men's team placing first and the women's team taking third. Andrew Hanko, the returning Runner of the Year, led the Midshipmen again, finishing first (23:55) out of 89 runners in a meet that included teams from Louisville, American, UMBC and George Washington. Jess Palacio led the women for the third straight week, placing first out of 100 runners in 21:48. She has won two events in 2010. Rachael Honrath continued her great freshman campaign with a 14th-place finish (23:23). Navy will compete at the Roy Griak Invitational at 1:20 p.m. Saturday.

Patriot League Notebook

Navy men, Bucknell women lead Patriot League in Mid-Atlantic polls

The Navy men's team is ranked fourth in the most recent United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Division I Mid-Atlantic Region poll. The Mids have placed first in two events and third in another, led by the reigning Patriot League Runner of the Year, Andrew Hanko.

American is ranked 10th in the poll and Bucknell is 14th.

Four women's teams are in the top 15 with Bucknell leading the way at seventh. Navy is ninth, Lehigh is 12th and Lafayette is 13th.

Bucknell, which has finished first in its only scored event in 2010, returned five runners who finished in the top 25 of the 2009 Patriot League Championships. The Bison were selected to win the League title for ninth time overall and fifth time in six years.

Northern Stars

As sophomores, Colgate's Elise DeRoo and Holy Cross' Paige Sutherland took control of the Patriot League.

DeRoo won the women's individual championship with her school-record time of 22:01.7. It was Colgate's third individual champion and second in three years. DeRoo, who beat the rest of the field by almost a minute, will be among the favorites to win it this year.

She has been strong in 2010 thus far, setting meet records at the Harry Lang and Colgate Invitational.

Both runners won individual titles in the first week of competition of 2010. DeRoo won the Harry Lang Invitational and Sutherland was first at the Bryant Invitational. Sutherland, who trailed DeRoo by 52.9 seconds to place second at the League meet, placed 10th out of 280 runners at the National Catholic Championships. She has been the top finisher for the Crusaders in every meet she has competed in for Holy Cross in 2010.

DeRoo's top performance in 2009 came at the Paul Short Run where she finished 15th with a school-record time of 20:42. Sutherland's lowest finish was 25th place, and that came at the NCAA Northeast Regionals. She won the Blue Devil Invitational, and placed sixth at the National Catholic Championships and the New England Championships.

Navy men, Bucknell women selected to win Patriot League titles

Both the Navy men's team and the Bucknell women's team return strong runners from their 2009 championship squads and the 2010 preseason poll reflects their strength in returners.

Navy and Bucknell were selected to repeat as Patriot League champions in the Preseason Coaches Poll, which was released Sept. 1.

The Navy men, who have won two straight Patriot League titles, will rely on last year's individual champion, Andrew Hanko, along with the last two Patriot League Rookie of the Year winners -- Jeremy Haney and Dean Black. Navy received 13 first-place votes and collected 97 points in the poll.

The Midshipmen will be challenged by American, which earned three first-place votes and earned 86 points to place second in the poll.

The battle for third place was close with Army edging out Bucknel 64-63 in points, and Lehigh is fifth with 60 points.

Holy Cross had 33 points to place sixth, and Colgate (27) and Lafayette (18) rounded out the poll.

In the women's poll, Bucknell, which returns its top five runners from last season, scored 96 points with 12 first-place votes. Navy was second with 79 points and three first-place votes.

Army was third with 75 points, and Colgate (65) and Lafayette (41) round out the top five. Colgate also received a first-place vote.

Holy Cross (38) was selected sixth, Lehigh (34) seventh and American (20) eighth.

2010 Patriot League Championship

The 2010 Patriot League Cross Country Championships will take place Oct. 30 at Lafayette College. The top-14 finishers in both the men's 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.

Patriot League Weekly Awards 

Male Runner of the Week

ANDREW HANKO, NAVY Sr., Montville, N.J.

Hanko finished first out of 89 runners at the Salty Dog Invitational with a time of 23:55. This is Hanko's second straight weekly award for 2010 and sixth since 2009.

Female Runner of the Week

ELISE DeROO, COLGATE Jr., Newton, Conn.

DeRoo set the new school record with her individual title at the Colgate Invitational, finishing the 6K race in 21:07. She beat her personal time of 22:24, which she ran last season.

Male Rookie of the Week

CHRIS SACKS, BUCKNELL Fr., Pound Ridge, N.Y.

Sacks finished ninth overall in a tri-meet with Duquesne and Pitt, running the 8K race in 25:57. He was the top freshman finisher for the second straight Bucknell meet.

Female Rookie of the Week

RACHAEL HONRATH, NAVY Fr., Manasquan, N.J.

Honrath won her third straight Rookie of the Week award, finishing 14th out of 100 runners at the Salty Dog Invitational with a time of 23:23.

Honorable Mention

STEPHANIE FULMER, BUCKNELL Jr., Pottstown, Pa.

Fulmer led the Bison to a first-place finish in a tri-meet with Duquesne and Pitt with her individual title. She ran the 5K in 18:00.

ED SHERIDAN, COLGATE Sr., Phillipsburg, N.J.

Sheridan placed sixth (25:38) helping the Raiders finish second at the Colgate Invitational.

DAN ALTENAU, HOLY CROSS Jr., Eastchester, N.Y.

Altenau was the Crusaders top finisher at the National Catholic Championships, placing 20th (25:41) and leading Holy Cross to a seventh-place finish.

PAIGE SUTHERLAND, HOLY CROSS Jr., Groveland, Mass.

Sutherland helped the Crusaders finish eighth out of 35 teams at the National Catholic Championships with her 10th-place finish (18:05).

EVANS KOSGEI, LEHIGH Sr., Moiben, Kenya

Kosgei placed 18th out of 207 runners at the Iona Meet of Champions, leading Lehigh to a 12th-place finish. He ran the 8K race in 25:44.9.

KATHERINE PIERCE, LEHIGH Jr., Alfred, Maine

Pierce was Lehigh's top finisher for the sixth straight meet, placing 10th out of 164 runners in 22:25.9. She helped Lehigh place sixth in the meet.

JESS PALACIO, NAVY Jr., Sun Valley, Nev.

Palacio led the Mids to a third-place finish by winning the individual title at the Salty Dog Invitational, finishing in 21:48. She has taken first place at two of three events this season.