HILLSDALE, Mich. – The focus was on nationals for a trio of Allegheny distance runners making the trip to Hillsdale, Mich., to complete in the highly competitive Gina Relays. The Gators didn't disappoint, getting great results from Tony Dipre and Jeramie Parker in the 1500-meter run while Chris Marker headlined the trip with a national qualifying mark in the 5,000m.

Marker is hoping that he punched his ticket to nationals following a near-record run in the 5,000-meter run. In an electrifying race, Marker out-kicked three non-college entrants and crossed the line 10th overall in 14:28.39. The race produced the four fastest times in Division III this season while Marker's final split ranks ninth nationally.

“Marker was terrific in the last 600 meters,” noted assistant coach Jason Headman. “He came through the two-mile mark in 9:14 and after falling off the pace for a short while, he bounced back strong and should be our second guy in (to nationals).”

Tony Dipre ran 3:51.25 in the 1500-meter run Invite finishing 11th overall, seventh among college runners, and third among runners in the NCAA Division III. The conditions were tough in the race as 24 guys lined up along the front line, which created a massive congestion and slow early pace.

Competing in the first section of the 1500m on Saturday, senior Jeramie Parker continued his inspiring late-season comeback with a fifth place finish, and fourth among college runners behind a time of 3:58.73. Parker shaved three seconds from his final clip of last week and inched closer to an NCAA provisional cut. There were 82 runners across all NCAA divisions in the race, but a great set of splits (62,64, 64, 48) triggered another solid run for the cross country All-American.

“We feel really positive heading into the conference meet,” continued Headman. “Jeramie continued to improve his positioning and it was really exciting to see him out there competing.”