KUTZTOWN, PA (October 29, 2009) – The Kutztown men's and women's cross-country teams are gearing up for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championships this weekend, held on Edinboro University's campus.
The 30th Annual Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Women's Cross Country championship, is slated for a 10 a.m. shotgun start. The women's 6-kilometer race is designed on the newly-dedicated Doug Watts Cross Country Course. The 52nd Annual PSAC Men's Cross Country championship is scheduled for 11 a.m. The 8-kilometer race will take place on the Doug Watts Cross Country Course.
Representing the women's team will be Kristin Cupido (Bridgewater, NJ/Bridgewater-Raritan), Cheryl Dingman (Lansdale, PA/North Penn), Maureen Watson (Walnutport, PA/Allentown Central Catholic), Steph Grimm (Fleetwood, PA/Oley Valley), Becca Brandt (Cleona, PA/Cedar Crest), Cristina Reimer (Chester Springs, PA/Downingtown East), Keri Brown (Southampton, PA/Seneca), Lindsay Smith (Bel Air, MD/C. Milton Wright), Lindsey Ray (Barnegat, NJ/Barrnegat) and Jill Kostishion (Hilltown, PA/Pennridge).
"Cupido, Dingman, Watson, Grimm, Reimer and Brandt have been getting the job done all season,” Kutztown head coach Ray Hoffman said. "We will also be running Brown for the first time all season to hopefully add to our quality depth."
This will be the second time this season all the women have joined each other at the starting line. The women have endured a long list of injuries, and sicknesses throughout the season.
"The key will be having everyone get to the starting line in good health on Saturday,” Reimer said.
Reimer has had an outstanding season. Starting off the season strong, she placed first overall at the Maroon and Gold Invitational, 35th at the Paul Short Invitational and 10th at the Lafayette Leopard Invitational.
Overall, the women's squad has won two meets, the Maroon and Gold Invitational and the Paul Short Invitational, where they broke their school record, as well as setting several new individual records for fastest time. The women placed third overall at the Lehigh Valley Championships and 14th at the Iona Meet of Champions.
"I feel that our women are more ready than ever to take a shot at winning the PSAC title,” Hoffman said. “The girls have been very positive and focused over the last month and are truly starting to believe in themselves."
The women's biggest challenge will be defending champion Shippensburg University. The Lady Raiders are ranked first in the Atlantic Region and in the PSAC East, and eighth nationally. The Golden Bears are ranked second in the Atlantic Region and PSAC East, and 16th nationally.
Picked 10th in the United States Track and Field Cross-Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), preseason poll, the men's cross-country team are entering the PSAC Championship ranked sixth.
For the last two weeks, the men have been struggling on and off the field, but it hasn't affected their team performance. In the latest USTFCCCA rankings released this past Tuesday, the men moved from seventh place into sixth place.
Representing the men this weekend will be senior Ben Loht (Lewistown, PA/Indian Valley), junior Kevin Rodgers (Clifton Heights, PA/Upper Darby), sophomore Ryan Reich (Oley, PA/Oley Valley), and freshmen Harry Latchford (Enola, PA/East Penn), and Joe Dyas (Westampton, PA/Rancocas Valley).
"Our men have been coming along all season,” Hoffman said.
The men won first place at the Maroon and Gold Invitational. They placed 19th at the Iona Meet of Champions, 13th at the Paul Short Invitational, and sixth at the Lafayette Leopard Invitational.
"We have great leadership upfront with Ben Loht (Lewistown, PA/Indian Valley) and Kevin Rodgers (Clifton Heights, PA/Upper Darby) who both do a fantastic job at keeping the guys focused on the goal at hand,” Hoffman said.
Loht has placed first for the team in every event this season. In the 6k races, his best time this season is recorded at 25 minutes 50 seconds, setting a new school record on that course. For Loht, it's all about working together as a team though. Rodgers has performed at every event this season, recording his best time at the Paul Short Invitational with a time of 26:14.
The Golden Bears will need to rely heavily on their talented sophomore and freshman teammates Ryan Reich (Oley, PA/Oley Valley), Harry Latchford (Enola, PA/East Penn) and Joe Dyas (Westampton, PA/Rancocas Valley).
"Reich and Latchford and Dyas have improved in leaps and bounds since early September,” Hoffman said.
The last time Edinboro hosted the PSAC Championship, in 2002, the runners were greeted by several inches of snow on Saturday morning. The runners will likely have to deal with mud this year, as rain is in the forecast.
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