MANSFIELD, Pa. -- Colleen Gilbert (Willow Street, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg), Sophia Knerr (Columbia, N.J./North Warren Regional) and Erika Moriarty (Kutztown, Pa./Kutztown) all finished inside the top 20 and earned All-PSAC Second Team honors, leading the Kutztown University women's cross country team to a strong fifth-place finish at the PSAC Championships Saturday afternoon at Mansfield.

Gilbert and Knerr, who have been KU's strongest performers all season, appropriately finished together in 16th and 17th place. The two runners were separated by just four seconds at the conclusion of the 6000-meter race, with Gilbert timing in at 23:13.3 and Knerr 23:17.3.

The finish marked Knerr's second All-PSAC Second Team performance in as many years. Moriarty was KU's other all-conference finisher last year and she followed it up with a 20th-place run (23:23.9) to claim the Bears' third All-PSAC honor of the day.

Jaelyn D'Amelio (Manahawkin, N.J./Southern Regional) finished just outside of the all-conference spots with a 43rd-place finish (24:26.3). The duo of Mya Ostermiller (Red Bank, N.J./Middletown South) and Ava Bendetti (Breinigsville, Pa./Parkland) mirrored Gilbert and Knerr by finishing back-to-back in 53rd and 54th, respectively. Julianna Elsesser (Schnecksville, Pa./Parkland), Madeline Barney (Oakland, N.J./Indian Hills), and Deandra Young rounded out the Golden Bears' championship competitors.

Coach Ray Hoffman's team enjoyed its best finish at the conference championships since 2019, improving on a ninth-place finish at last year's meet and 12th at the pandemic-delayed 2020 meet that actually took place in March, 2021.

Edinboro completed a clean sweep of the day, capturing both the men's and women's championships. Seton Hill was a close second, six points behind the Fighting Scots. 

KU will be on the hunt to make some noise at the NCAA Atlantic Regional Championships Saturday, Nov. 19, at Mansfield. 
 

---

PSAC Cross Country Championships
Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022 | Mansfield, Pa.
6,000-meters | 165 Runners

KUTZTOWN RESULTS
TEAM: 5th/18 (149 pts.)

16. Colleen Gilbert (Willow Street, Pa./Lampeter-Strasburg), 23:13.3 (All-PSAC Second Team)
17. Sophia Knerr (Columbia, N.J./North Warren Regional), 23:17.3 (All-PSAC Second Team)
20. Erika Moriarty (Kutztown, Pa./Kutztown), 23:23.9 (All-PSAC Second Team)
43. Jaelyn D'Amelio (Manahawkin, N.J./Southern Regional), 24:26.3
53. Mya Ostermiller (Red Bank, N.J./Middletown South), 24:42.5
54. Ava Bendetti (Breinigsville, Pa./Parkland), 24:42.8
76. Julianna Elsesser (Schnecksville, Pa./Parkland), 25:21.7
79. Madeline Barney (Oakland, N.J./Indian Hills), 25:29.5
107. Deandra Young. 26:14.8