The Penn College men's and women's cross-country teams are prepped and ready to compete in the United East Championships on Saturday, Oct. 31. The women's race begins at 11 a.m., with the men following at noon. Saturday will mark the third time the Wildcats have run the course at Union Canal Tunnel Park in Lebanon.
The Wildcat men look to remain at the top of the final standings after claiming titles in 2023 and 2024. They have finished in the top three in each of the past four seasons. On the women's side, first-year head coach Adrienne Wydra-Curry is hopeful her team can finish with strong times.
"We will be competitive, especially on the men's side, for another top-three finish. We need our first runner to move up their finish and the rest of our five to break up groups from other institutions. I think we will surprise some teams. Our women are also ready to compete. I know they have individual goals of finish placement they are looking to achieve," Wydra-Curry said.
"The team is looking forward to running a fast and familiar course. They feel they are comfortable with the course and know how they would like to race the field of runners. They have determined when they want to push, where they want to watch their footing, where they would like support. They have done their homework and are prepared and ready to take on the challenge. We are thankful for the opportunity to compete and try to bring home a championship."
The Penn College men finished sixth out of 15 teams on the course to open the season at the Lebanon Valley Invitational and fifth out of 13 teams on the same course last weekend at the Last Chance Run Fast Invitational. Freshman Logan Bohrer paced the Wildcats at the Lebanon Valley Invitational, finishing 28th in 28:34.7. He nearly shaved a minute off that time last Saturday, finishing the course in 27:47.3 to place 13th at the Last Chance Invitational.
Bohrer leads the men's squad with a top time of 27:29.9, followed by senior Chase Ebeling, freshman Bryce Martin, senior Holden Furey and freshman Cashlin Rogers, who round out the top five times on the men's side. Furey looks to become just the second four-time all-conference runner, while Ebeling aims to close out his career with a third postseason accolade.
"Our team worked extremely hard to be in the right place come championships this Saturday. We had multiple success stories during the season; everyone had their race and day to be the star. On the men's side, we had three different runners place first in our team standings, while a number of runners were competing with one another for a top-five finish in the team standings each meet."
The women are led by senior Elaina Brady, who ran a career-best 26:05.3 on the course last week. Brady looks to become the first women's runner to earn four all-conference honors. Freshman Amy Rohl, sophomore Kate Butzler, senior Adelyn McDermott and sophomore Gwynn Johnson have posted the top five times on the women's side throughout the season and look to make a push for their first postseason honors to help the Wildcats in the team standings.
"On the women's side, we also had three different women place first in our team standings," Wydra-Curry said. "Our seniors are running particularly well right now, and we are excited for them to run a great race for their final championship meet. We feel like we are at a good place moving into championship Saturday."
All-conference honors will be awarded to the top 11 finishers (first team), the next 11 (second team) and the next 11 (third team). Runner of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Elite 20 (academic award) and Coach of the Year also will be honored.
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