WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. -- When the Pennsylvania College of Technology cross country teams ran in the United East Conference preview race on Sept. 12, it was just their second meet of the season as the two-time defending champion men finished second in an 11-team field and the women placed fifth among 10.
Since then, they've had three more competitive outings, including last Friday when eight members of the men's team and six women posted either their personal or season-best times in their respective 8K and 6K races, and they appear to be peaking at just the right time going into this Saturday's conference championships hosted by Penn State Brandywine.
The men run at 11 a.m., with the women following at noon.
"I wish I had some great insight regarding the upcoming UE Championships. As a coach, it is always the goal to have your athletes do the right amount of training and racing to be prepared for this time of the season. Both teams are mostly healthy and seem focused. We treated the LVC race as a final tune-up. They ran well and should have boosted some confidence levels," coach Tom Leeser said.
Leeser described the Brandywine course in Media as "definitely challenging. Hills, sharp turns, and rough footing add to the difficulty."
The Brandywine website says that the course is: one of the toughest in the area, and is approximately 75 percent wooded or grass or dirt trails, and features two stream crossings.
Commenting on men, Leeser said, "Our strength is in our depth. If eight-10 runners were included in the scoring (rather than five), we would have a significant advantage. To compete for the top spot, we must find a way to break up the top five guys from top teams like PSU Berks and St. Mary's (which finished first and fourth, respectively, in the warmup meet). Ben Causak, Mitch Campbell and Holden Furey looked strong (at the last race) and will need to run with the lead pack. I am hopeful that we can place numerous men on the all-conference team again this year."
Causak, of Lebanon, had led the squad in four of its five races, including a season-best time of 28:32 in the season opener. Campbell, of Riegelsville, owns a season-best time of 29:05, and Furey, of Williamsport, is coming off a season-best 28:50.
Among the other men running, with their season-best times in parentheses, will be Chase Ebeling, of Bellefonte (30:01), Jacob Parker, of Weatherly (29:55), Aaron Guerrisky, of South Williamsport (30:47), Ethan Knapp, of Franklin (30:11) and Oliver Galicki (30:30).
"Our top three women (Alexis Durn, Elaina Brady and Ellie Miller) have opportunities to be in the top 25 and make all conference. As a team, a top-five finish is realistic," Leeser said.
Durn, of Spring Mills, owns a season- and personal-best 6K time of 26:30; Brady, of McConnellsburg, has a season-best time of 27:32; and Miller, of Hughesville, has a personal- and season-best time of 28:16.
Other women and their season-best times include Natalie Greiner, of Mount Joy (29:40), Gwynn Johnson, of Staunton, Virginia (29:40), Adelyn McDermott, of Williamsport (33:27) and Isabella Telford, of Greensburg (40:25).
All-conference honors will be awarded to the top 11 finishers (first team), next 11 (second team) and next 11 (third team), with Runner of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Elite 20 (academic award) and the Coach of the Year also being honored. Leeser is the two-time men's coach of the year.
