The 2007 season looks to be another promising one for the men’s and women’s cross country teams in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.  A deep pool of talent is showcased in the fact that 22 All-PSAC runners from 2006 – 10 men and 12 women – are back in the fold this year.

The next nine weeks will serve as a solid training session for the postseason action.  The PSAC Championship is slated for October 27 at Kutztown University and the NCAA East Regional a week later at Lock Haven University.  The 2007 NCAA Division II Championships will take place in Joplin, Mo., hosted by Missouri Southern University.

The PSAC meet will be especially significant for the men as they reach the distinctive milestone of the 50th annual championship.  Competition for a men’s league title dates back to 1958 when West Chester won the first-ever Pennsylvania State Teachers College Athletic Conference championship at what was then known as Cheyney State.

The 50th season of men’s cross country could produce quite a battle from a team standpoint.  It is expected that Lock Haven, winners of four straight titles, will get plenty of competition from both Edinboro and Slippery Rock.

The Bald Eagles cruised to a 55-point victory over runner-up Edinboro at last year’s PSAC Championship placing six runners in the top 16.  However half of that contingent has departed, including Ryan Blood, a two-time PSAC champion who also won the regional title and placed fourth at the NCAA Championships in 2006.  In order to repeat as conference champions, Lock Haven will need to get contributions from Shawn Moore (9th PSAC, 12th regional), Cory Spidell (10th, 15th) and 2006 PSAC Rookie of the Year Brandon Pomerantz (13th, 13th), as well as a strong recruiting class.

Edinboro has finished runner-up to Lock Haven each of the last four seasons, and will challenge again this year behind returning All-American Dave Niemira.  Niemira, who placed sixth at both the PSAC and regional meets, should get help from Josh Arthur (11th, 18th) and Eric Brenner (17th, 20th), a pair who made significant strides last year.  The Fighting Scots will also get a boost from Jon Moneyhon, Dan Field, Travis Prejean, and Nick Hankins, all of whom sat out 2006 after helping the team win the 2005 NCAA East Regional title. 

Slippery Rock has bolstered a roster that featured little depth behind standout Jeff Weiss a year ago.  Weiss, a two-time All-American, and PSAC and regional champion in 2005, will head the Rock pack again entering his junior year.  He should receive help from West Virginia Wesleyan transfer Pat Reagan, who placed 11th at the 2006 regionals, as well as Matt Grey, who rebounded from a 34th-place at PSACs to finish 19th at regionals.  Also expected to be contenders are a pair of 2006 redshirts in Matt Bluman (9th PSAC, 8th regional in 2005)and Chris Geddis (18th, 32nd).

Mansfield is expected to make a significant leap from its 12th-place team finish a year ago, as standouts Chris Cummings and Josh Wooten return for their final seasons.  Both have been postseason standouts, especially Cummings, who is a three-time All-PSAC performer.  Another senior, Dave Sanford, can help elevate the team with improvements on his respectable 30th (PSAC) and 24th-place (regional) postseason finishes.     

Clarion transfer Chris Clark, who has placed 10th (2005) and third (2006) at the PSAC Championships the last two seasons, has joined the California squad, but will likely redshirt in 2007.  Other individuals who will vie again for postseason honors are:  East Stroudburg’s Iuri Pinto (8th PSAC, 10th regional), Shippensburg’s Stephen Thompson (14th regional), West Chester’s Tommy Pearson (17th regional), IUP’s Nate Shelly (19th PSAC) and Millersville’s Andrew Butler (20th PSAC). 
 
Headlining the list on the women’s side is Edinboro senior Rachael Lanzel, a two-time All-American who will attempt to defend her 2006 PSAC title.  Lanzel led all league runners with a fourth-place finish at the Division II National Championship a year ago.

Lanzel heads up Edinboro’s list of four returning All-PSAC runners from 2006.  Becca Nungesser (8th), Ashley Ferraro (13th) and Kristine Beringer (16th) were other key components to the Fighting Scots winning their ninth straight league championship last season.  Erica Bourgeois, who finished 23rd at the PSAC meet, ran well with a 16th-place finish at the regional championship and fits in with Edinboro’s young contingent.

Kutztown gave Edinboro one of its closest battles in years, falling just seven points shy of the Fighting Scots at the 2006 PSAC Championship.  The Golden Bears, which won the regional title just one week later, have five of their top seven returning, including its top two from the conference and regional meets.  Stephanie Williams placed ninth at the PSACs and then spearheaded the regional title with a fifth-place showing, while Joanna Horstmann was seventh and sixth at PSACs and regionals, respectively.  Also providing depth are Maureen Watson (13th regional) and Cheryl Dingman (30th regional).

Slippery Rock will feature a strong group up front and could be a team contender if it can find some depth.  PSAC Rookie of the Year Jen Harpp collected respective sixth- and fourth-place efforts at the PSAC and regional meets and hopes to reach even greater status heading into her sophomore campaign.  Katie Bork, who missed 2006 due to illness, returns with strong credentials (10th PSAC; 13th regional) from the 2005 campaign. 

Bloomsburg also figures to be in the hunt for team supremacy with the three-time All-PSAC runner Amber Hackenberg among the leaders.  She will get assistance from Beth Schwing, who placed 10th in both postseason events in 2006, and Ashley Shuck, who was ninth at the conference meet two seasons ago.

Other returning All-PSAC runners from 2006 are:  Millersville’s Priscilla Jennings (4th), West Chester’s Kristie Kershaw (11th), Lock Haven’s Lindsey Scheller (15th) and Indiana (Pa.)’s Maureen Newell (19th).  Also worth mention is Erin Richard of Clarion, the PSAC’s Track Athlete of the Year for the outdoor season, who did not participate at the conference championship, but placed 11th at the NCAA East Regional in 2006.