Oct. 7, 2008

Center Valley, Pa.- Nine Patriot League teams are ranked in USTFCCCA Regional polls released Oct. 6. Last weekend was a busy one for Patriot League Cross Country, as all eight teams were in action last Friday and Saturday. Student-athletes from Army, Navy, Holy Cross and Bucknell all won Patriot League Runner of the Week awards.

Patriot League Cross Country Release 10.7.08

Patriot League Male Runner of the Week

Jonathan Anderson, Army Sr., Cinnaminson, N.J.

Anderson was the top-finishing Patriot League runner at this weekend's Paul Short Invitational. Anderson finished the 8k race with a time of 24:09, leading the Black Knights to a 14th-place finish of 45 teams. Anderson beat all but one runner from No. 5 Iona, all but one runner from No. 25 Villanova and all but three runners from No. 6 Wisconsin in the meet.

Patriot League Female Runner of the Week

Katie Rentz, Navy So., San Diego, Calif.

Rentz led the Mids across the finish line for the second-straight week and boasted the fastest time of all Patriot League runners at the Paul Short Invitational with a time of 21:29 in the women's 6k. Her time was good for an individual finish of 43rd-place of 301 runners, and she helped Navy take 10th-place of 43 teams at the meet.

Patriot League Male Rookie of the Week

Cory Loftis, Holy Cross Fr., Branford, Conn.

Loftis placed 48th at last weekend's Murray Keatinge Invitational in Orono, Maine, with a time of 26:45.88 in the men's five-mile race. Loftis led the Crusaders to a sixth-place finish of eight teams, which included teams from Dartmouth, Yale, New Hampshire and Boston College.

Patriot League Female Rookie of the Week

Stephanie Fulmer, Bucknell Fr., Pottstown, Pa.

Fulmer was the top freshman Patriot League finisher at the Paul Short Invitational. Fulmer's time of 21:37 in the women's 6k gave her a 55th-place individual finish and helped give the Bison a 12th-place team finish of 43 teams. This is Fulmer's second Patriot League weekly award this season.

Patriot League Notebook

Nine Patriot League Squads Ranked in USTFCCCA Polls

Nine Patriot League teams are ranked in USTFCCCA regional polls released Oct. 6. On the men's side, Navy is the highest-ranked Patriot League squad at ninth in the Mid-Atlantic Region. The Mids are followed by Lehigh (10th), American (11th) and Bucknell (14th) in the region. Army is ranked 11th in the Northeast Regional Poll. For the women, the Mids are ranked sixth in the Mid-Atlantic Region, followed closely by Bucknell in the seventh spot and Lehigh in the 11th spot. The Black Knights are ranked 13th in the Northeast Region.

Weekend Wrap-Up

Last weekend was a busy one for Patriot League Cross Country, as all eight teams were in action last Friday and Saturday. Six squads plus the Navy women's team all competed at the Paul Short Invitational, hosted by Lehigh. Army was the top finisher on the men's side in 14th place of 45 teams. The Black Knights were followed by Lehigh (15th), American (16th), Bucknell (26th), Colgate (35th) and Lafayette (42nd). On the women's side, Navy was the top Patriot League finisher in 10th place of 43 teams. The Mids were followed by Bucknell (12th), Lehigh (17th), Army (23rd), Lafayette (34th), and Colgate (39th).

The Navy men's team competed at the Notre Dame Invitational in South Bend on Friday, finishing 21st of 25 teams. On Saturday, Holy Cross competed at the Murray Keatinge Invitational. The men finished sixth of eight teams and the women were seventh of seven teams. Finally, the American women competed at the George Mason Invitational, where they earned a 15th-place finish of 16 teams.

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 women finished 15th at the George Mason Invitational, while the men placed 16th at the Paul Short Invitational in Bethlehem. The Eagles will split their squads as they next compete October 18th at the Delaware and Leopard Invitationals.

Army men finished 14th of 45 and the women finished 23 of 43 at the Paul Short Invitational last weekend. The Black Knights will next compete at Navy on October 18.

Bucknell women finished 12th and the men finished 26th at the Paul Short Invitational. The Bison have no scheduled events this week, and will next compete at the Princeton Invitational on October 18.

Colgate will next compete at the Albany Invitational on October 18, after the men's team finished 35th and the women's team finished 39th at the Paul Short Invitational.

Holy Cross competed at the Murray Keatinge Invitational last weekend. The men finished sixth of eight teams, while the women finished seventh of seven teams. The Crusaders are the only Patriot League team running this weekend; they will compete at the New England Championship on Saturday.

Lafayette men finished 42nd of 45 teams and the women finished 34th of 43 teams at the Paul Short Invitational. The Leopards will host the Leopard Invitational on October 18.

Lehigh finished 15th of 45 in the men's race and 17th of 43 in the women's race on their home course at the Paul Short Invitational. The Mountain Hawks will next compete at the Princeton Invitational on October 18.

Navy women paced the Patriot League with a 10th place finish at the Paul Short Invitational, and the men finished 21st at the Notre Dame Invitational. The Mids will host archrival Army in a duals meet on October 18.