McKeesport, PA. – In just two weeks, the Penn State Greater Allegheny Cross Country team will be running at the Penn State University Athletic Conference Championships. Before that, the team will get one final tune-up when they head to the Carnegie Mellon Invitational on Saturday at 9 a.m. as they look to get there times down and prepare for the championship event.
The PSUGA cross country team was last in action on September 21st when they ran at the PSU-Mont Alto invitational in what would be a preview of the PSUAC Championships. PSUGA had two top-ten finishers as they ran through the twists and turns of Norlo Park in Fayetteville, PA.
Junior Eladia Kennedy (Pittsburgh, PA./Imani Christian Academy) led the way in her first 6K race finishing with a time of 31:55. She paced a season-best 8:30 mile and continues to improve in every race for Head Coach Greg Schmitt. Kennedy is one of two runners who have qualified for the United States Collegiate Athletic Association National race and will be representing PSUGA for the first time since 2017.
The other USCAA qualifier for PSUGA is Max Shugerman (Turtle Creek, PA./Woodland Hills HS) who finished in ninth on the men’s side with a time of 31:11. The run was good for a fourth-place finish among his fellow PSUAC runners and gives Shugerman great upside as he heads into his second 8K race of the season.
It has been a strong season for the PSUGA Cross Country team with their runners improving each time out. Shugerman has put himself in the top five in program history in two different races running the fifth-fastest 6K time in school history, 26:35, and the third-fastest 5K time in school history, 18:06.4.
As PSUGA heads into their final tune-up, they will be running the Carnegie Mellon Invitational at Schenely Park in Pittsburgh, PA. The PSUGA male runners will be running their second 8K race of the season while the women are back at it on the 6K course. The course will wind through the parks many trails offering a variety of challenges for the runners.
The teams will start with a course walk-through at around 8 a.m. with the women’s race set to begin at 9 a.m. The men’s race will follow after the women’s race.