LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - The Shippensburg University men's cross country program was voted third in the 2009 PSAC Preseason Coaches Poll released Friday by the conference office. Edinboro was picked as the favorite, while Lock Haven was voted second. Slippery Rock and IUP round out the Top 5.

Shippensburg, under the guidance of head coach Steve Spence, has recorded three consecutive fourth-place finishes at the conference meet but returns a legion of talented runners in 2009 that will be gunning for a top performance after impressive showings last year. All seven of SU's top performers from a season ago return to a roster that features two seniors coming off redshirt seasons.

Junior Bryan Beegle, the 2008-09 SU Men's Scholar Athlete of the Year, was an all-conference and all-region performer last year with a sixth-place finish at the PSAC Championships and an eighth-place finish at the Atlantic Region Championships. Perhaps his greatest accomplishment last season came with a personal-best 8K time of 24:57 at the Paul Short Invitational.

Junior Sean Stetler was an all-conference performer after a 15th-place finish at the conference meet and followed that up with a 19th-place finish at the regional meet. Stetler continues to improve and will once again be one of Shippensburg's top runners this season.

Redshirt junior Josh Neyhart returned strong last season with an all-conference performance at the PSAC meet (20th-place) and SU's second-fastest 10K time at the regional meet with a 17th-place finish in 33:04. Neyhart is an experienced runner who will once again be one of the top competitors in the conference while being one of the leaders on the Shippensburg squad.

Junior Ethan Rissell emerged last season as one of the top Raider runners with impressive performances at the end of the year. Rissell tied Neyhart's 10K time at the regional meet to earn 16th place while earning 31st place at the PSAC meet. He will be among the lead pack this season.

Sophomore Stephen Schelander ended his debut campaign as the PSAC Men's Cross Country Rookie of the Year and had a superb showing in his first conference meet, earning 28th place. He took 37th place at the regional meet and will be looking to make additional strides in his second season.

Junior Jake Sitler placed 23rd at the regional meet and 35th at the conference meet to affirm his rank as one of the team's top runners. Redshirt sophomore Brandon Boyer recorded solid performances at both season-ending meets last season and will also provide several opportunities to score points at a meet this year.

Redshirt seniors Stephen Thompson and Dillon Gracey join redshirt juniors Jeremy Brady and Ryan Boyer as athletes who are also set to return to this year's squad after redshirt campaigns.

Augmenting those competitors is a strong and determined group of young runners, including sophomores Greg Ahlswede, Pio Mandato and Kristofer Kroeger.

The Red Raider squad begins its season on Saturday, September 5 with competition in the annual Alumni Meet on the Shippensburg University campus. The meet is scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m.

PSAC Men's Cross Country Preseason Poll

1. Edinboro (12)
2. Lock Haven (4)
3. Shippensburg
4. Slippery Rock
5. IUP
6. East Stroudsburg
7. Bloomsburg
8. Mansfield
9. Millersville
10. Kutztown
11. California
12. West Chester
13. Mercyhurst
14. Gannon
15. Cheyney