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MANSFIELD, Pa. - The Shippensburg University cross country teams will be competing this Saturday morning from the Lambs Creek course in northeastern Pennsylvania at the 2009 NCAA Atlantic Region Tournament hosted by Mansfield University.

It is the first time that Mansfield has hosted a regional cross country tournament. The event is one of eight regional tournaments being held this weekend. More than 24 schools and 350 athletes ranging from Pennsylvania to South Carolina will compete in the Atlantic Region tournament.

The women's 6K championship race starts at 11:15 a.m. followed by the men's 10K at 12:15 p.m. The top three women's teams, the top two men's teams and the top five individual finishers in each race will advance to the national championships.

WOMEN's RACE

Shippensburg continues to rank atop the Atlantic Region and is considered the favorite this weekend. Bloomsburg and Slippery Rock will provide stiff competition and their strength in numbers will challenge the top-heavy Lady Raider pack.

Sophomore Neely Spence looks to add to her already outstanding running resume by competing for a second regional title. After capturing her second-straight PSAC title last weekend in Edinboro, Spence aims to defend the regional crown she captured last season at Slippery Rock's Cooper's Lake Campground course.

Junior Mary Dell comes off a career-best third place finish at last weekend's PSAC Championship, earning vital team points that helped the Lady Raiders to a second-straight PSAC team title. Junior Abby Huber, sophomore Katie Frey, sophomore Sarah Strayer, redshirt junior Lindsey Hollenshead and junior Emily Dubs rounded out the top seven finishers for the Lady Raiders at last weekend's PSAC Championship meet.

Overall, the top five finishers count toward the team standings and Shippensburg will rely heavily on its depth to turn in solid finishes. Last season, the Lady Raiders won the Atlantic Region title in commanding fashion, winning by a 35-point margin.

The Lady Raiders will face stiff competition from a field that includes many of the faces that the team saw at last weekend's PSAC Championships. Millersville graduate Priscilla Jennings finished second to Spence last weekend while strong finishers Tina Yi (Edinboro), Christie Turak (Mercyhurst), Andrea Kellock (Bloomsburg), Lindsey Lambert (Lock Haven) and Jennifer Harpp (Slippery Rock) round out the list of top competitors of the PSAC-laden field.

MEN's RACE

At the PSAC Championships last weekend in Edinboro, the Red Raiders were the only school to place six runners among the top 20 finishers. Shippensburg hopes to capitalize on that depth in the team scoring. Last season, the Red Raiders finished fourth in the region and narrowly missed a berth in the national championships.

Despite not running in last weekend's PSAC Championship, junior Bryan Beegle is anticipated to be in the mix of top competitors Saturday. Last season, Beegle finished eighth overall in the 10K regional race at Slippery Rock and he already has experience on this year's course having won the 10K Mountaineer Flatland Invitational back in September.

Shippensburg also anticipates a strong finish from true freshman Matt Gillette, who was the top finisher for the Red Raiders at the PSAC Championships. Fellow freshman Ed Buck, who finished 10th at the PSAC Championships last week, will also be vying for a strong showing in his first regional meet.

The veteran crew that helped Shippensburg reach this point will also be among the potential strong finishers for the Red Raiders. The unit includes sophomore Stephen Schelander, junior Sean Stetler, junior Ethan Rissell and redshirt junior Josh Neyhart.

Runners and coaches alike anticipate a strong performance from Lock Haven, who is the defending region champion and defended its PSAC title last weekend in Edinboro. Lock Haven's Nick Hilton and Brandon Pomerantz captured the first two spots respectively at last weekend's PSAC Championship while Edinboro's Ben Hahn and Barry McLaughlin will also be contenders.