Cross Country Gets Championship Preview at Mont Alto Invitational

McKeesport, PA. – After having nearly two weeks off, the Penn State Greater Allegheny Cross Country team is back in action when they run in the Penn State Mont Alto Invitational on Saturday at 11 a.m. It will be a preview of what the team can expect at the Penn State University Athletic Conference Championships as the PSUGA runners will be running the same course that will host the 2019 PSUAC Championships on October 26th.

PSUGA has seen a strong performance so far this season from all three of its runners as they continue to improve through each meet. All three posted lower times from the first to the second race of the season and continue to work towards qualifying for the United States Collegiate Athletic Association National Invitational as part of Fall Championship Week November 7^th – 11^th in Virginia Beach.

One runner who has already hit his qualifying marks is junior Max Shugerman (Turtle Creek, PA./Woodland Hills HS). Shugerman has been the leader for PSUGA this season and lead the way once again at the Westmoreland County CC Invitational running the 5K race in 18:06 and finishing 9^th overall. It was the third fastest 5K time in PSUGA Cross Country history as Shugerman missed the mark by just 1:56.

Eladia Kennedy (Pittsburgh, PA./Imani Christian Academy) also posted a top 20 finishing time at the WCCC Invitational coming in 11^th place with a time of 26:58. It was Kennedy’s first career collegiate top 20 finish in Cross Country and gives her more confidence as the season moves along. She is trying to be the first PSUGA female Cross-Country runner to qualify for Nationals since the 2014 season.

Saturday’s race will run through Norlo Park located in Fayetteville, PA. featuring two loops for the runners to go through. The women will run a 6K race while the men will be tested with their first 8K race of the season. With Shugerman already qualified for Nationals, he will be running for seeding in the race while Kennedy will try to break through and qualify for the first time in her collegiate career.

For PSUGA, they will be making a return appearance to both the PSUAC and USCAA National Championships for the first time since the 2017 season. That year, former lion Fernando Leira was the lone representative at the events running the PSUAC Championships in 24:13 and the USCAA Championships in 30:13.

The PSU-Mont Alto Invitational is set to begin with the women’s race at 11 a.m. followed by the men’s race five minutes after the conclusion of the women’s.