Oct. 23, 2007
Center Valley, Pa. - The Patriot League championship schedule kicks off with the men's and women's cross country championship on Saturday at Lafayette's Metzgar Fields complex. The men's race (8000m) begins at 11 a.m., with the women (6000m) following at Noon.
The Bucknell women will look to win their seventh League championship, and third consecutive under Head Coach Kevin Donner. On the men's side, American is attempting to win its sixth consecutive championship under Head Coach Matt Centrowitz. Both teams were also picked to win the championship in a preseason poll of coaches and sports information directors.
However, both teams will face stiff competition in their bid to repeat. In several meets this year that contained more than one Patriot League team, the League schools finished closely in the standings. Navy, American and Army men finished fourth, fifth and seventh respectively in the Iona College Meet of Champions, while Navy, Bucknell and Colgate women placed 16th, 18th and 19th in the Paul Short Invitational.
At the Leopard Invitational on Oct. 13, which was run on the same course as the Patriot League Championship, the American men and Bucknell women both finished in second place overall and were the top finishers out of the Patriot League schools in a meet that included six League representatives on the women's side and five on the men's side. The Bucknell men placed fifth in the meet, while the American and Holy Cross women came in fourth and fifth, respectively.
The last two Patriot League Runner of the Meet winners will both compete for the American men on Saturday, as 2005 winner Steve Hallinan and 2006 honoree Brendan Fennell highlight the field. Navy senior John Olsen could also pose a threat after finishing fifth out of 233 runners at the Fordham Invitational and third out of 98 runners at the Navy Invitational, and winning Patriot League weekly honors both times. Colgate's Ed Sheridan and Lehigh's Dan McClimon both won multiple Rookie of the Week honors in 2007. Five student-athletes that earned All-League honors in 2006 will compete in the race, including Fennell and Olsen.
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Bucknell's Erin Crammer-Hart returns on the women's side after placing second in the 2006 Patriot League Championship, and is one of seven returning All-League runners from a year ago. Army's Meghan Curran figures to be a top competitor as well after finishing seventh in the 2006 race and winning two Patriot League weekly honors in 2007. Colgate freshman Stacey Marion has exploded onto the scene for the Raiders, earning four Patriot League weekly awards this year, including two runner of the week honors to go with two rookie accolades.
Patriot League cross country teams have enjoyed a successful 2007 season across the board. In the most recent version of the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Poll, there are five men's teams and four women's teams ranked in the Northeast or Mid-Atlantic Regional polls. The Army men are ranked seventh in the Northeast, with Navy leading the pack of four teams in the Mid-Atlantic rankings with a No. 7 ranking. On the women's side, Bucknell is ranked ninth, Navy is 11th and Lehigh is 14th in the Mid-Atlantic, while Colgate is 14th in the Northeast.
For up-to-date information, including team rosters and past Patriot League champions, look at the Patriot League Cross Country Championship page
For more on the 2007 cross country season, read:
2007 Cross Country Weekly Releases
2007 Cross Country Preseason Polls
