Cross Country Returns to Competition in 2019
After a year out of competition, the PSUGA Cross Country team is back and looking to put themselves on the PSUAC map. With newcomer Max Shugerman leading the charge, PSUGA is preparing for the PSUAC Championship race.
McKeesport, Pa. – After a year removed from competition, the Penn State Greater Allegheny Cross Country team returns for the 2019 season at the Father Bede CC Invitational on Friday, August 30th. Thanks to the hard work of head cross country coach Greg Schmitt, the program has made a return with three athletes ready to compete for a spot in the Penn State University Athletic Conference Championships.
This year’s roster features two veterans to the PSUGA athletics program and one newcomer who is looking to make an impact. Junior Eladia Kennedy (McKeesport, Pa./Imani Christian Academy) and James Plez (Philadelphia, Pa./Northeast HS) both will transition from Track & Field to Cross Country to bring a veteran presence to the new program.
Kennedy comes into the season after earning the title of United States Collegiate Athletic Association National Champion in the 100-Meter Dash this past spring, as well as a bronze medal in the 200-Meter Dash. She claimed the gold with a time of 14.02 seconds and with it became the first USCAA National Champion in school history. As the lone female competing on this year’s team, she will look to pave the way for the women’s cross-country team in the future.
Plez also had success at the USCAA National Championships, qualifying in four different events and taking home the silver medal in the 4X400 Meter Relay. With Plez training for the 400-Meter Dash for the 2019 Track & Field season, Cross-Country will help him build endurance as he goes throughout the season.
The newcomer to the group is junior Max Shugerman (Turtle Creek, PA./Woodland Hills HS) who comes to PSUGA after running for one season at Florida Tech. During his sophomore season, he averaged a time of 32:50.99 across his four meets. His best time came at the Disney Classic where he placed 87th out of 140 runners with a time of 30:28.20. He was also one of six runners to represent Florida Tech in the 2018 NCAA South Regional Championships in Lakeland, Florida.
The PSUGA Cross-Country team has four scheduled meets on its schedule before the PSUAC Championships on October 26th. After beginning the year at Saint Francis University on August 30th, they will head to the Westmoreland County CC Invitational the following weekend. They will get their first taste of PSUAC action on September 21st at the PSU-Mont Alto Invitational before wrapping up the regular season at Carnegie Mellon on October 5th.
PSUGA Cross-Country kicks off their season on Friday, August 30th at the Father Bede Cross Country Invitational at 2 p.m. The event will be held at Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania.