KUTZTOWN, Pa. -- Fresh off a seventh-place finish at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championships, which included two All-PSAC finishes, the Kutztown University men's cross country team is gearing up to finish the season strong at the NCAA Atlantic Region Championships at Mansfield on Saturday, Nov. 19 at 11:30 a.m.
The 2022 season has been a year of growth for the Golden Bears, who came into the season with a roster of 10 underclassmen on a 13-man roster. Despite its youth, KU made strides, which culminated in a third-place finish at the DeSales Invitational, followed by a first-place finish at the Last Chance Run Fast Invitational to end the regular season. The Golden Bears also made five appearances in the U.S Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Atlantic region poll over the course of the campaign.
"None of our top seven guys have more than two years of collegiate running under their belts, but they've performed like veterans," said head coach
Ray Hoffman.
That youthful exuberance was on full display at the PSAC Championships when the freshman duo of Adam Brocato (Reisterstown, Md./Calvert Hall) and Cody Schabener (Reading, Pa./Exeter Township) earned All-PSAC Second Team finishes for the Golden Bears. They became the first freshmen to earn All-PSAC honors since Steve Maine did it in 2014. Schabener also finished first place at the Last Chance Run Fast Invitational and emerged as one of the top runners for the Golden Bears at the end of the season.
Logan Iacobelli (Breinigsville, Pa./Parkland) and Jack Hollar (East Stroudsburg, Pa./Pocono Mountain East) were always towards the top of the pack for KU in 2022. Hollar was the top finisher for KU at the regional championship last season, finishing with a time of 33:24.0, coming in 61st place. This season, he earned third, sixth, and eighth place at different meets in the regular season and was the third-finisher for KU at the PSACs, coming in 45th. Iacobelli's regular season was highlighted by two seventh-place finishes at DeSales and the DII/DIII Challenge.
Jay Thompson (Wernersville, Pa./Conrad Weiser), Port Habalar (Williamsport, Pa./South Williamsport), and Jacob Huber (Bethlehem, Pa./Saucon Valley) are the other Golden Bears that will be running on Saturday. The transfer Thompson and the freshman Huber are two of the newcomers who have contributed solid finishes for KU in every meet so far this season. Habalar, a sophomore captain, is looking to finish the season on a high note after a strong opening and closing performance to the regular season.
The PSAC teams competing on the day will have a familiarity advantage, considering the PSAC Championships two weeks ago also took place at Mansfield. The competition will be tougher though with the introduction of Mountain East teams into the fold, including No. 1 Charleston (W. Va.), No. 3 Concord, and No. 5 Davis and Elkins. Despite this, Hoffman wants to see a solid finish out of his side.
"My expectation is a top-10 finish from them this weekend," said Hoffman.
The Golden Bears hit the course Saturday morning at 11:30 p.m. at Mansfield.
