The SRU cross country season came to a close on Saturday at the Atlantic Regional Championships held at Lock Haven University, where the men’s team placed fifth and the women’s team placed seventh.
The top three men’s teams and top four women’s teams earned tickets to the NCAA National Championship meet. Lock Haven, Edinboro, and Shippensburg earned a spot for the men. For the ladies, Edinboro, Mansfield, Shippensburg, and IUP earned national berths.
The men’s team was led by seniors Morgan Elliott and Alex Koksal with All-Region performances of 13th and 17th place, respectively. Elliott covered the 10,000-meter course in 31:16 and Koksal covered it in 31:25.
Senior Michael Beegle placed 31st with a time of 32:10, just narrowly missing All-Region honors.
Sophomore Charlie Frank was the fourth Rock runner to cross the finish line, placing 42nd in 32:31.
Freshman Ryan McGuire finished his first 10K in 32:36 to take 44th place.
Junior Theo Reynolds and sophomore Ryan Thompson were SRU’s sixth and seventh runners, finishing in 61st and 82nd place.
On the ladies side, senior Kara Styles led the Rock with a 21st place All-Region performance. She covered the 6,000-meter course in 21:41, earning the third All-Region honor of her career at Slippery Rock.
“My goal going into the season was to improve from last year and make the most out of the opportunity I was given for a sixth year of eligibility,” Styles said. “I wanted to end my career with the best race of my life and I believe I did that. It’s been a great experience the last few years and I’ve enjoyed my role as the super senior on the team watching the younger girls grow and improve as runners.”
Junior Janine Powis was the second Rock runner to cross the finish line. She finished the 6K in 22:02 to place 33rd.
Sophomore Jenny Picot took 45th with a time of 22:17. Freshmen Sara Miller and Sarah Wirth placed 53rd and 65th, respectively with times of 22:27 and 22:41.
Sophomores Brittany Fagan and Karly Knechtel rounded out the lineup for the Green and White, placing 71st and 95th
The Rock will now set its focus on the indoor track season.
