Pittsburgh, PA. - The Penn State Greater Allegheny Cross Country team ran their final tune-up at the Carnegie Mellon Invitational on Saturday. Both runners continued to improve on their times in their final races before the Penn State University Athletic Conference Championships on October 26th.

PSUGA had a large talent pool to compete against going against some of the top teams across NCAA Division III and Division II programs. On the male side, there were 110 competitors in the 8k race while the women's side featured 129 runners in the 6k race.

Junior Max Shugerman (Turtle Creek, PA./Woodland Hills HS) was the lone competitor on the men's side dropping his time by nearly a minute. He tan the race in 30:23 finishing 81st in the field and pacing a 6:06 mile on the day.

Eladia Kennedy (Pittsburgh, PA./Imani Christian Academy) ran on the women's side and improved on her overall time as well. Kennedy placed 125th but dropped her 6K time by nearly four minutes running a 27:10 and pacing a 8:44 mile.

In four races this season, Kennedy and Shugerman each improved on their times and had many successes on the way. Up next are two big competitions where PSUGA Cross Country can make a splash on the national stage. It starts with the PSUAC Championships on October 26th followed by the United States Collegiate Athletic Association National Championships on November 8th. Shugerman and Kennedy will each run in both races giving them a chance to earn national and conference honors.

The PSUGA Cross Country team is back in action on Saturday, October 26th, when they compete in the PSUAC Championships at Norlo Park in Fayetteville, PA.