CALIFORNIA, Pa. – The Shippensburg University men's cross country team is seeking its first conference championship in school history on Saturday morning from Cal's Roadman Park course where it will compete in the PSAC's annual 8K meet. The race is set to start at 10 a.m.

This year's championships figure to be an outstanding battle. Shippensburg enters as the top team in the Atlantic Region and is ranked No. 6 in Division II. The Raider harriers have shined when given the green light - a fact most evidenced with the team's impressive performance at the Greater Louisville Classic on October 2.

In that race, all seven of Shippensburg's top runners achieved new personal bests for an 8K cross country course and finished fifth overall, beating the likes of Georgia, Ole Miss, Southern Ilinois and Missouri. SU staked its claim as a regional heavyweight last season with its first Atlantic Region Championship in school history and looks to continue the momentum this weekend.

Lock Haven enters as the No. 2 team in the Atlantic Region and ranked No. 9 in Division II. The Bald Eagles are the defending champion and are familiar with being at the top. Senior Nick Hilton is the defending individual champion and was an All-American last spring in the steeplechase. Juniors Tim Getz and Nathan Zondlo are each outstanding runners and are certainly among those that seek an All-PSAC designation this weekend.

Edinboro is a perennial favorite and enters as the No. 3 team in the Atlantic Region and is ranked No. 14 in Division II. The Fighting Scots boast credibility and are seeking their 28th conference title in school history. EU also competed in the Greater Louisville Classic - finishing 11th. Their squad boasts the talents of senior Ben Hahn along with solid complimentary runners including sophomores Scott Anderson and Sean Naderer along with junior Jake Krolick.

Among the other conference programs that are expecting a strong showing Saturday include East Stroudsburg (No. 4 in the Atlantic Region), Slippery Rock (No. 5 in the Atlantic Region), IUP (No. 7 in the Atlantic Region) and Millersville (No. 8 in the Atlantic Region). The host Vulcans are also ranked among the region's Top 10 teams.

Shippensburg's projected runners are as follows, listed in alphabetical order:

Senior Bryan Beegle is the team's projected No. 1 runner after serving as the team's pacesetter in the three races in which he has competed. He thrived in Kentucky, finishing 38th with a time of 24:34. He was the runner-up at the Gettysburg meet and placed third from Dickinson.

Junior Brandon Boyer continues to build off his solid 10K performance at last year's outdoor track championships. Boyer recorded an impressive PR of 24:58 at the Greater Louisville Classic and finished sixth at the Division II Challenge as Shippensburg's No. 5 runner.

Junior Eric Evans has developed as a footer with several steady performances. He has raced four times this season, including three times on an 8K course, earning Top 20 finishes in three meets. Evans was the team's No. 3 runner at the Gettysburg meet.

Sophomore Matt Gillette was named the PSAC Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Week just two weeks ago after leading an SU pack that finished second through sixth at Kutztown. He has been the team's No. 2 runner in his other two meets this season and set a new PR of 24:47.

Senior Josh Neyhart matched Gillette's time at the Louisville meet and is the most veteran member of the group competing this weekend. He has consistently been among the team's No. 3 and No. 4 runners, typically in a pack with teammates Gillette and Schelander.

Senior Ethan Rissell was the team's No. 2 runner at last year's Atlantic Region Championships and is looking to make an impact at this year's conference meet. His season-best 8K time is 25:39, set at Louisville, and his highest place is 14th, achieved at Kutztown.

Junior Stephen Schelander has run identical times to Neyhart in all three of their race this season and will also be among the group vying for spots as No. 2 through No. 4 runners. Schelander also has two Top 10 finishes to his credit this season.

Senior Jake Sitler made his impact in the steeplechase along with Beegle at last year's outdoor track championships and has been the team's No. 6 or No. 7 runner in all of his three meets this season. Sitler is another experiences competitor who set a PR of 25:10 in Kentucky.

Senior Sean Stetler has competed twice in 8K events this season and performed well in both meets. He was the No. 2 runner at the Kutztown meet as a part of the outstanding SU pack in that race. Stetler also set a new PR of 24:50 as SU's No. 5 runner at the Louisville meet.

Junior Jeremiah Wilt is in his first season with Shippensburg after two years at Hagerstown Community College. Wilt impressed in the season-opening Alumni meet with a seventh-place finish and kept that pace going at Gettysburg, finishing seventh in 26:19.

Video highlights and interviews from the race will be available late Saturday and on Sunday at the SU Athletics website. For updates from the course, check the official SU sports information Twitter page.