By: By Bill Morgal, Sports Information Director
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The No. 18 Shippensburg University men's cross country team will be seeking to defend its PSAC championship crown this weekend when it takes to the 8K West Branch course Saturday morning at Lock Haven University.
SU will have to fend off the likes of region power Edinboro, who is ranked No. 7 in Division II, host Lock Haven, who is ranked No. 21 in the country, and amongst others, talented squads from East Stroudsburg, Slippery Rock and California (Pa.).
Shippensburg is currently ranked No. 2 in the Atlantic Regional rankings between Edinboro and Lock Haven but will be employing just three runners who ran in last year's PSAC championship race. The Raiders had a senior-heavy lineup last season and will need contributions from several runners making their PSAC championship debut if they are to come away with a title on Saturday.
A full breakdown of Shippensburg's lineup is listed below.
Edinboro has a truckload of talented runners on its squad and is hungry for results after missing out on the NCAA championships last season. Sophomore Scott Anderson was the PSAC's individual champion last season in his debut conference meet and is the favorite to defend that title in 2011. Anderson, a reigning All-American after his 18th-place finish at nationals last season, did not make his debut this season until October 1 but has been named the PSAC Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Week after both his races in 2011.
Fellow sophomore Bryan Deibel has posted consistently strong 8K times this season but will be making his conference meet debut. Deibel was Edinboro's No. 2 runner at the Division I-laden Loyola meet in early October with a 14th-place finish in 25:26. Senior Jake Krolick, redshirt freshman Matt Link and sophomore Jordan Roose – the runner-up in the steeplechase during last year's outdoor track & field campaign – are among the other Fighting Scots to keep an eye out for this weekend.
Lock Haven was tabbed as the preseason favorite by conference coaches but its lineup has fluctuated throughout the season. Sophomore Alex Monroe made his season debut last week at the Penn State National Invitational – a race filled with talented Division I competition – and finished 24th overall with a time of 27:11 on the 5.2 mile course. Monroe is the reigning PSAC Men's Cross Country Freshman of the Year.
Senior Tim Getz was 31st at Penn State and is a veteran of PSAC postseason races. Two other seniors, Josh Gainer and Mitch Miller, appear to be Top 5 runners for the Bald Eagles. However, Lock Haven has not had the benefit this season of Nathan Zondlo, the talented distance runner and reigning USTFCCCA Atlantic Region Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Year.
East Stroudsburg, who has won three of its last four races heading into this weekend, has the experience and talent of senior Greg Laraia at its disposal. Laraia has impressed in 8K races this season, including an ESU course-record 25:08 at Salisbury's Cathcart Invite, and is a reigning All-PSAC competitor after an 18th-place finish one season ago.
Four juniors: Mike Pereira (who presumably bears no relation to the West Chester University linebacker and the former NFL czar of officiating who each boast the same name), Frank Fezza, Amr Aldeen and Jim Romano, join freshman Chris Schneider to make a group that could very easily make a statement this weekend with a solid showing. The No. 2 through No. 5 runners have varied for the Warriors this season but each of these men has shown the potential for being a valuable scorer.
Slippery Rock is a young squad that is poised for success this season and in the near future. Talented sophomore Travis Arrigoni has paced The Rock in several races this season as his team's No. 1 runner. Arrigoni finished 21st as a freshman in last year's PSAC meet. Fellow sophomore Morgan Elliott and junior Alex Koksal have also been among the consistent scorers for The Rock along with sophomore Michael Beegle – the brother of SU cross country alum and track All-American
Bryan Beegle '11.
California boasts talented sophomore Aaron Dinzeo, who was the No. 1 runner for the Vulcans in all of his races as a freshman in 2010. Dinzeo finished seventh at last year's PSAC meet and eighth at last year's Paul Short Invite before placing 16th at the NCAA regional meet as a freshman. This season, Dinzeo continues to be Cal's pacesetter and has earned a PSAC Athlete of the Week award for his efforts.
Flanking Dinzeo will be fellow sophomore Savantuay Boyette, Cal's consistent No. 2 runner, along with senior Tim Lahmers freshman Nick Pezza and junior Chris Poss. Boyette finished 24th at last year's PSAC championship meet, while Lahmers was Cal's No. 4 runner at last year's conference meet. Cal has not had the services this season of junior Christopher Werner, who was the team's No. 3 runner at last year's PSAC meet.
The men will run after the women, making for a potentially interesting course considering the amount of rain that has fallen in Pennsylvania this year. The gun is expected to go off at 11:30 a.m. The current 8K course record for Lock Haven's West Branch course is 23:56, set by Cal's Chris Clark in 2008.
Shippensburg Lineup:
Senior
Stephen Schelander has paced the Raiders all season as its No. 1 runner. Schelander's 8K season PR of 25:27 was set at the Paul Short Run from Lehigh in which he finished 85th overall. He is a defending All-PSAC and All-Region runner after a second-place finish at last year's conference meet and an eighth-place finish at the regional meet. His 8K PR is 24:47, set at last year's Greater Louisville Classic. Schelander has had consistent success throughout his career, beginning in 2008 with his PSAC Men's Cross Country Rookie of the Year award in which he was the only freshman to finish among the Top 30 competitor at the conference meet. He is expected to challenge Anderson, Dinzeo and others for the individual championship.
Junior
Matt Gillette is a solid No. 2 runner and himself a defending All-PSAC and All-Region runner who established his 8K season PR of 25:32 at the Paul Short Run from Lehigh. Gillette was an All-American on the outdoor track last season in the 1,500 meters and contributed to an indoor national championship with SU's DMR squad. He has a knack for incredible kicks to finish his races. His 8K cross country PR is the same as Schelander's as they simultaneously crossed the finish line at last year's Greater Louisville Classic. They repeated that feat at last year's PSAC meet, as Gillette was credited with a fourth-place finish. Gillette also performed well in the 10K at last year's national championships with a 54th-place finish and a 10K PR of 31:57. He also hopes to be among the Top 5 finishers this weekend.
Senior
Eric Evans is the only other returning runner from SU's lineup a season ago. Along with Schelander, Evans will be running in the PSAC championship meet for the fourth time in his career. Evans was SU's No. 10 runner at last year's championship meet but that is the result of SU's team dominance a season ago – as he placed 29th overall and would have been the No. 1 scoring runner for six other teams in the race. He finished 27th in 2009 and 37th as a freshman in 2008. His 8K season PR is 27:21, set at the Paul Short Run from Lehigh, while his 8K career PR is 26:44, set at last year's Gettysburg Invitational. Evans is hoping to conclude his experiences at the conference meet with an All-PSAC certification.
Redshirt freshman
Scott Armstrong will be one of seven SU competitors making their debut in PSAC championship competiton. Armstrong is a wild card who has the potential for great success. In track competition last season, Armstrong was a PSAC qualifier in the 1,500 meters. In his debut cross country season, Armstrong has emerged as the likely No. 3 runner for the Raiders – especially after establishing an 8K PR of 26:47 at the Paul Short Run. His performance this weekend will be paramount to the team's overall success.
Senior
Wade Miller has displayed much promise this season as the team's No. 4 runner at both the season-opening Alumni Invitational and the Paul Short Run from Lehigh. Miller's 8K time of 26:52 from Lehigh was a new collegiate cross country PR by 27 seconds. He is hoping for a breakout performance this weekend as he vies for All-PSAC accolades.
Freshman
Bernard England is one of two true freshmen that will be racing this weekend for the Raiders. England made his mark with an 8K time of 27:11 at Lehigh that was a 48-second improvement from his previous 8K effort at Kutztown. England, a native of Easton, also finished among the Top 25 at Shippensburg's season-opening Alumni Invitational.
Freshman
Peter Gelston is the other true freshman to compete this weekend for the Raiders. Gelston led the Raider contingent that competed in the open competition at the Paul Short Invitational with an 8K PR of 27:19 that proved to be 75 seconds faster than his effort at Kutztown in which he was SU's No. 9 runner.
Senior
Greg Ahlswede is the fourth senior competing for the Raiders this weekend and is one of three SU competitors who also ran last weekend at Gettysburg. Ahlswede, a two-time competitor for the United States on its junior orienteering squad, was SU's No. 2 runner last weekend at Gettysburg and established a season PR of 27:45 at Lehigh. His collegiate 8K cross country PR is 27:29, which was set at last year's Dickinson Long Invitational.
Junior
Brian Quintrell was SU's No. 3 runner at Gettysburg last weekend and has run the 8K once this season – posting a time of 28:20 at Lehigh. Quintrell is in his second season with the Raiders after transferring from East Carolina. His collegiate PR is 26:16, set as a freshman with the Pirates at the Great American Cross Country Festival in Cary, N.C. With the Raiders, his 8K PR is 28:19, set at last year's Greater Louisville Classic.
Junior
John Reilly was right behind Quintrell at last week's Gettysburg Invitational and established his 8K season PR of 27:50 at Lehigh. His effort in the open Paul Short Invitational was 90 seconds faster than his previous season effort at Kutztown. Reilly established his 8K collegiate PR last season at the Paul Short Invitational from Lehigh with a solid time of 25:58.
