Mont Alto, Pa. – Coming off of a 7th place overall finish at the 2017 Penn State University Athletic Conference Championships, Sophomore Cross Country runner Fernando Leira (Madrid, Spain, Great Mills (Md.)) received another honor on Saturday as he was named to the 1st Team All-PSUAC Men’s Cross-Country team.
This is the second straight season in which Leira has been honored by the PSUAC as last season he took home a 2nd Team All-PSUAC award in his freshman season. Leira has had one of his best seasons as a cross country runner placing in at least the top 20 in every race he has competed in this season.
His best showing came at the Penn State Mont Alto invitational back on September 23rd when he finished in sixth overall, fourth among PSUAC competitors, with a time of 24:13 over a 6K course. His best 8K time of the season was when he finished 19th overall at the Frostburg State Invitational on September 30th with a time of 31:40.
Coming into the season, Leira said that one thing he really wanted to work on was his ability to run the hills. It is something he worked on all-season long and it paid off in the end as he ran the Mont Alto course in 32:17. Head Coach Mark Bacco was very proud of Leira’s performance saying “He ran a very good race under windy and cold conditions.”
The season is not yet over for Leira as with his 7th place finish, he has qualified to run in the 2017 United States Collegiate Athletic Association National Championships which will be held in Virginia Beach, Virginia on Friday November 10th at 10 a.m. That race will feature schools from across the USCAA as Leira will be up against some of the top runners in the nation.
It has been a great season for Leira and PSUGA Cross Country so far, and they look to continue that success on the national stage.