Cross Country teams compete at Mid-East Regional Championships
11.11.07
The Penn State Altoona men's and women's cross country teams competed at the NCAA Division III Mid-East Regional Championships Saturday at Muhlenberg College in Bethlehem, PA.  The Lion men checked in at 39th place overall while the Altoona women scored a 36th place finish after running a combined 4:54 faster than their previous best combined time.  Sophomore Erin Gibbons was the top place winner on the women's side for the Lions, clocking a 25:04 in the 6k event.  Five of the six competing Lions earned their best 6k times of the season.  Dickinson College was the women's champion with a team total of 53 points.  In the men's 8k race, four of the seven Altoona runners captured season best times led by junior Rich Hanlon who finished with a 28:31.  Haverford College was the men's champion by tallying 45 team points.  Click the links below for full NCAA Division III Mid-East Regional Championship results.

        WOMEN'S RESULTS                                MEN'S RESULTS

Women second, men fourth at AMCC Cross Country Championships
10.27.07
The Penn State Altoona women's cross country team finished second overall while the Lion men notched a fourth place finish at the 2007 Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Cross Country Championships Saturday morning.  The event was held in Hamburg, New York, and hosted by Hilbert College.  The Altoona women boasted four runners in the top 15 individual standings led by sophomore Erin Gibbons' time of 25:41 and 11th place finish.  Freshman Angela Nicholl concluded the 6K course in 12th position with a 26:29 while teammate Tara Sipe checked in tenths of a second behind and finished 13th, also clocking a 26:29.  Jomil Medina (14th -- 26:51) and Cynthia Bernardez (18th -- 27:39) helped the Lions to a team score of 68 points, one better than third place Frostburg State.  Penn State Behrend easily captured the women's championship as six runners finished in the top 10 of the 65-competitor field en route to 29 team points.  On the men's side, freshmen Josh Willson and Matt Gorman led Penn State Altoona to a fourth place finish with 105 team points.  Willson finished 17th after completing the 8K course 30:14 while Gorman ended in 30:35, good enough for 19th place.  Junior Rich Hanlon was 20th (30:40), sophomore Chris Bradigan placed 24th (31:08), and freshman Tom Hoffner earned 25th (31:23) to finalize the Penn State Altoona team point total.  Penn State Behrend was again victorious on the men's side placing seven runners in the top 10 and finishing with a team score of 24.  Frostburg State was second while Pitt-Greensburg rounded out the top three.  For full championship results, click the links below.

         WOMEN'S TEAM RESULTS                                MEN'S TEAM RESULTS
       WOMEN'S INDIVIDUAL RESULTS                       MEN'S INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

Cross Country teams enjoy best showing of season at Hood Invitational
10.20.07
The Penn State Altoona women finished second overall while the Lion men took home sixth place honors Saturday morning at the Hood College Invitational in Walkersville, MD.  The Altoona women finished runner up to McDaniel College, compiling 74 team points and placing three runners in the top 25 individual standings.  Freshman Angela Nicholl concluded the 6k course in 13th place with a time of 26:04.  Sophomore Erin Gibbons clocked a 26:16 to finish in 15th position before fellow sophomore Tara Sipe concluded the day 24th with a 27:10.  Cynthia Bernardez (29th -- 28:38), Jomil Medina (33rd -- 29:25), Alexa Woolcock (42nd -- 30:34), and Megan Elder, (51st -- 31:17) rounded out the Lion individual finishers in the 73 competitor race.  For the Altoona men, freshman Matt Gorman placed 29th overall, completing the 8k course in 30:07 and helping the team to a point total of 160.  Classmate Josh Willson checked in at 37th in the 80 man event with a 30:35.  Tom Hoffner (31:12), Chris Bradigan (31:30), and Rich Hanlon (31:31) finished consecutively in 43rd, 44th, and 45th places, respectively.  Xiangyu Fu (51st -- 32:09) and Pat Fyock (59th -- 33:24) rounded out the Lion finishers.  Freshman Ryan Spiardi began the race but did not finish due to illness.  McDaniel and Hagerstown Community College tied for the men's team title with 49 points each.  Penn State Altoona will be in action next Saturday, October 27, at the 2007 AMCC Championships hosted by Hilbert College.

                    WOMEN'S RESULTS                                MEN'S RESULTS

Cross Country has strong showing at Harry F. Anderson Invitational
10.13.07
The Penn State Altoona men's and women's cross country teams had an impressive showing Saturday at the Harry F. Anderson Invitational in Rochester, NY.  The men's team finished 11th in the 14 team race and was led by junior Rich Hanlon, who finished 66th overall with a time of 29:13.  Other contributors to the Lions' success were freshmen Josh Willson, Matt Gorman, and Tom Hoffner along with sophomore Chris Bradigan.  All four finished in the top 100 in the 152 man race.  The meet was won by Ithaca who had an impressive showing, totaling just 30 points.  The women ran equally as well as the men, finishing 9th out of 15 competing teams.  The Lions were paced by freshman Angela Nicholl, who clocked a 21:25 and finished 37th.  Sophomores Tara Sipe and Erin Gibbons, freshman Jomil Medina, and senior Cynthia Bernardez all finished within 52 seconds of each other.  Houghton College was the victor on the women's side with a total of 73 points.  The next meet for both the Altoona men and women comes on October 20 at the Hood College Open Cross Country Meet in Walkersville, MD.

               WOMEN'S RESULTS                                MEN'S RESULTS

Lions take fourth in Pitt-Greensburg Bobcat Invitational
10.6.07
The Penn State Altoona men's and women's cross country teams placed fourth overall in the eight team field at Pitt-Greensburg's Bobcat Invitational held at the Westmoreland County Fairgrounds.  The Lion women finished with a team score of 91 points while the Altoona men ended the morning with 107 points.  On the women's side, sophomore Erin Gibbons and freshman Angela Nicholl were the frontrunners for Altoona, finishing among the top 15 individual place winners.  Gibbons checked in at 13th overall with a time of 27:50, and Nicholls followed right behind, crossing the line in 14th position with a 27:51.  Freshman Jomil Medina finished 24th of the 78 competitors in the women's event with a 29:45.  The Altoona men also had two runners conclude the day in the top 15 individual finishers.  Senior Rich Hanlon was 12th overall, his best finish of the season, after clocking a 31:24.  Freshman Matt Gorman continued his impressive inaugural season at Penn State Altoona with a 13th place finish and time of 31:49.  Two more freshmen, Tom Hoffner and Pat Fyock, finished in the top 30 of a race that featured 71 runners.  Seton Hill College was the team champion in both the men's and women's races.  Mount Aloysius, La Roche, and host Greensburg joined Penn State Altoona as the AMCC competitors.  Both the men's and women's teams are back in action next Saturday, October 13, as they travel to the Harry F. Anderson Invitational in Rochester, NY.  Full results from the Pitt-Greensburg Bobcat Invitational can be viewed by clicking the links below.

                 WOMEN'S RESULTS                                MEN'S RESULTS

Cross Country competes at Juniata Eagle Invitational
9.22.07
The Penn State Altoona men's and women's cross country teams made the 20 minute drive to Fort Roberdeau in Altoona Saturday morning, site of the Juniata Eagle Invitational hosted by Juniata College.  The course served as home to the Penn State Altoona Lion Invitational from 2003-2006.  Eight of the 10 participating collegiate women's teams registered point totals as Penn State Altoona and Hagerstown Community College did not have five runners finish the race.  Freshman Angela Nicholl was the highest finisher for the Lions, checking in at 60th overall with a time of 22:54.  Sophomore Erin Gibbons and freshman Jomil Medina both suffered injuries in the 5000m event and did not finish.  Division II Slippery Rock was the women's team champion after accumulating 42 points and having three runners finish in the top 10.  The Altoona men finished 11th with a team point total of 297.  Matt Gorman and Rich Hanlon finished in 79th and 80th places, respectively, with times of 29:24 and 29:26.  Slippery Rock also took the men's team championship with 15 total points and boasted eight of the top 12 finishers in the 7500m race.  Along with the collegiate women's and men's races, the Eagle Invitational also featured a high school girls 5k race, a high school boys 5k race, and a junior high 2.5k race.  Penn State Altoona returns to action on Saturday, October 6, at the Pitt-Greensburg Bobcat Invitational.  Race time is 10 AM.  Full Results from the Eagle Invitational can be accessed by clicking the links below.

               WOMEN'S RESULTS                                MEN'S RESULTS

Cross Country teams finish second at Father Bede Hines Invitational
9.15.07
The Penn State Altoona men's and women's cross country teams made the short trip to Loretto, Pennsylvania, Saturday for the Father Bede Hines Invitational hosted by St. Francis University.  Both squads finished second in the three-team field that included Division I Robert Morris and host St. Francis.  The Lion women finished with a team total of 50 points while the Altoona men concluded with 49.  Sophomore Erin Gibbons was the top finisher for the Lions in the 5K women's race with a time of 23:18, good enough for 12th overall.  Junior Rich Hanlon came in ninth place in the 8K men's event for Altoona with a time of 32:57.  The St. Francis men and women each finished the day with 15 team points en route to the championship.  Robert Morris did not have five runners finish in either the men's or women's races which dropped both squads to third place overall.  Penn State Altoona is back in action next Saturday, September 22, at the Juniata Eagle Invitational.  For complete results from the Father Bede Hines Invitational, click the links below.

               WOMEN'S RESULTS                                         MEN'S RESULTS 

Cross Country teams compete at Hornet Harrier Invitational
9.8.07
The Penn State Altoona men's and women's cross country teams traveled to Winchester, Virginia Friday evening for the Hornet Harrier Invitational hosted by Shenandoah University.  The Lion women finished third in the six team field while the Altoona men finished fourth of the six.  Heat and humidity were factors early in the day as the women's race began with temperatures in the 90's.  Penn State Altoona sophomore Erin Gibbons concluded the women's 6K race in 11th place with a time of 25:35.16 while freshman teammate Angela Nicholl was less than a second behind, finishing 12th overall in the 41-competitor event with a 25:35.85.  Cynthia Bernardez and Tara Sipe checked in at 17th and 18th, respectively, for Altoona.  Freshman Alexa Woolcock was the fifth and final Lion runner to contribute to the team point total of 78 as she finished 25th overall with a time of 28:48.  McDaniel College was the women's team champion as four of its runners placed in the top ten and host Shenandoah came in second.  A trio of freshmen were the top men's finishers for Penn State Altoona as Josh Willson (34:36), Tom Hoffner (34:50), and Ryan Spiardi (35:05) ended the 8K race in 23rd, 24th, and 25th places, respectively.  Pat Fyock and Mark Savidge were the final two scorers for Altoona, who finished with 95 points.  McDaniel also won the men's team championship, concluding the day with 29 points.  The Penn State Altoona men's and women's cross country teams return to action on September 15th at the Father Bede Hines Invitational hosted by St. Francis University.  For full Hornet Harrier Invitational meet results, click the links below.

            WOMEN'S RESULTS                                    MEN'S RESULTS

Cross Country teams finish third in first ever Blue White Classic
8.31.07
St. Francis University captured the men's and women's team championships and also boasted both individual champions at the first ever Penn State Altoona Blue White Classic held Friday afternoon at American Legion Park.  Mount Aloysius, Lake Erie, and Juniata joined St. Francis and host Penn State Altoona for all five squads' season opening race.  On the women's side, the Division I Red Flash finished with a meet best 23 points and placed all seven competitors in the top 11 of the 40-competitor 4K event.  Anna Hoffman, Shannon Kovack, and Allyson Sheehan were the top three finishers, respectively, as Hoffman established an initial course record of 14:55, nearly 40 seconds faster than Kovack.  Erin Gibbons of Penn State Altoona checked in at 15th overall with a 17:49 while teammate and fellow freshman Angela Nicholl finished 16th with an 18:06.  Juniata finished second, tallying 37 points, and featured four runners in the top 10 led by Laura Rupprecht's time of 16:21, good enough for 4th overall.  In the men's 5K race, the Red Flash placed all seven runners in the top 13 and received a time of 16:16 from individual champion John Balouris en route to a team total of 21 points.  The Eagles' Matthew Bailey finished 11 seconds behind checking in with a 16:27.  Juniata notched 34 points to clinch second place while Penn State Altoona checked in with 85 points, placing them third.  Freshman Matt Gorman recorded a 17:53 and finished 12th overall in the 37-man field.  Teammate Ryan Spiardi finished 16th with an 18:14.  Full results can be accessed by clicking the links below.

               WOMEN'S RESULTS                                            MEN'S RESULTS   

Cross Country team gearing up for 2007 season
8.29.07
After a pair of third place finishes at the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Championships last year, the Penn State Altoona men's and women's cross country squads appear poised for a promising 2007 campaign.  The Lions welcome 10 newcomers into the program who, teamed with a small but savvy group of returners, could enjoy success in both conference and regional competition.