W&J CROSS COUNTRY SEASON ENDS AT MIDEAST REGIONAL (11/14) BETHLEHEM, Pa. The Washington & Jefferson College cross country squads wrapped up their 2009 season on Saturday at the NCAA Division III Mideast Regional hosted by Muhlenberg College at Lehigh University. The W&J men placed 30th of 45 teams, while the women s team competed as individuals. Allegheny College won the men s team title and the Gators Chris Marker (24:54) earned medalist honors in the 314-runner field. Johns Hopkins won the women s title. Lebanon Valley s Jenn Cronin won the individual championship with a time of 21:39 among 311 runners. Freshman Scott Ryan (Williamsville, N.Y./Williamsville East) led the W&J finishers in 90th place (27:15). Classmate Benjamin Kopchick (Clarksburg, Pa./Saltsburg) placed 149th overall (27:59), while senior Bryan Hanrahan (West Middlesex, Pa./West Middlesex) garnered 185th place (28:46). Senior Will Seymour (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) finished 190th (28:51) in his final collegiate race, while sophomore Anthony Johnson (Pittsburgh, Pa./Peabody) placed 275th (32:46) and classmate Adam Toomey (Youngwood, Pa./Hempfield) took 281st (33:10). Junior Laura Procario (Collegeville, Pa./Spring-Ford) ran the course in a time of 25:41 (177th place) to lead the W&J women. Sophomore Kate Loy (Pittsburgh, Pa./South Park) notched a time of 26:32 and placed 215th, while freshman Brittany Mosi (South Park, Pa./South Park) collected a 299th place finish (32:26). Presidents' Athletic ConferenceGROVE CITY WINS PAC CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS (10/31) LATROBE, Pa. Grove City College captured the Presidents' Athletic Conference Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships Saturday at Saint Vincent College. Washington & Jefferson placed fourth of six teams in the men's competition, while the women's squad finished eighth of eight squads. Grove City notched 17 points in the women's standings to easily top Westminster (62), Thomas More (104), Bethany (128), Waynesburg (130), Chatham (168), Thiel (177) and W&J (179). The Wolverine men garnered 18 points. Thiel notched second place with 57 points followed by Westminster (96), W&J (103), Waynesburg (120) and Thomas More (145). Garrett Cichowitz of Grove City won the men's 8K race with a time of 26:41. Both GCC teams had four of the top five finishers. Sara Fisher won the women's 6K race for the Wolverines after posting a time of 23:24.
Freshman Scott Ryan (Williamsville, N.Y./Williamsville East) had the best finish for Washington & Jefferson after earning First Team All-PAC laurels following a fourth-place finish (27:49). Senior Bryan Hanrahan (West Middlesex, Pa./West Middlesex) took 19th place (30:03), while classmate Will Seymour (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) claimed 22nd place (30:20). Freshmen Jacob Montag (Valencia, Pa./Mars) and Benjamin Kopchick (Clarksburg, Pa./Saltsburg) recorded 26th and 32nd places, respectively. Montag ran the course in 30:47, while Kopchick turned in a time of 21:49. Junior Laura Procario (Collegeville, Pa./Spring-Ford) finished 21st (26:32) to lead the W&J women. Sophomore Kate Loy (Pittsburgh, Pa./South Park) placed 28th (27:32), while freshman Erica Heidelberger (Kirkville, N.Y./East Syracuse-Minoa) claimed 34th (28:21). Sophomore Liann Correia (Marion, Mass./Old Rochester) collected a time of 32:08, while freshman Brittany Mosi (South Park, Pa./South Park) placed 49th (34:08). Both W&J squads will run at the NCAA Mideast Regional on Nov. 14th in Bethlehem, Pa. Scott RyanW&J S SCOTT RYAN WINS TITLE AT HOOD INVITATIONAL (10/18) FREDERICK, Md. Washington & Jefferson College freshman Scott Ryan (Williamsville, N.Y./Williamsville East) {right} earned his first collegiate cross country title on Saturday at the Hood Invitational hosted at the Heritage Farm Park. Ryan helped W&J place third of 14 teams with a time of 28:04 in the 8K race which featured 123 runners. Dan Swain of St. Mary s placed second with a time of 28:07. York (Pa.) won the men s team championship with 45 points. Shenandoah was second with 76 points, while W&J claimed third with 91 points. The W&J women placed sixth of 13 squads with 191 points behind Catholic (49), Penn State- Altoona (69), York (71), Shenandoah (94) and St. Mary s (190). Freshman Benjamin Kopchick (Clarksburg, Pa./Saltsburg) also had a strong showing for the W&J men in sixth place (28:28). Senior Bryan Hanrahan (West Middlesex, Pa./West Middlesex) notched a 35th-place showing (30:07), while freshman Jacob Montag (Valencia, Pa./Mars) ran the course in 30:26 and took 39th.
Sophomore Adam Toomey (Youngwood, Pa./Hempfield) garnered 41st place (30:37), while senior Will Seymour (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) also placed in the Top 50 with a 47th-place finish (31:03). Junior Laura Procario (Collegeville, Pa./Spring-Ford) led the W&J women in 17th place with a time of 26:41 in the 6K race. A total of 110 runners competed in the women s invitational. Freshman Erica Heidelberger (Kirkville, N.Y./East Syracuse-Minoa) finished close behind Procario in 23rd place (27:27), while sophomore Kate Loy (Pittsburgh, Pa./South Park) notched 36th place (28:17). Sophomore Liann Correia (Marion, Mass./Old Rochester) ran a time of 30:55 and place 68th. Freshman Brittany Mosi (South Park, Pa./South Park) turned in a 90th-place finish (35:08). The Presidents will now have two weeks to prepare for the 2009 PAC Championship which will be held Oct. 31st in Latrobe, Pa., at 11:00 am. W&J CROSS COUNTRY RUNS AT SLIPPERY ROCK INVITE (10/3) SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. The Washington & Jefferson College men placed sixth of eight teams, while the women competed as individuals on Saturday at the Slippery Rock Invitational hosted at Coopers Lake Campground. Wayne State won the men s meet with 28 points followed by Slippery Rock (45), Penn State (69), Mercyhurst (116), Westminster (153), W&J (155), Gannon (185) and West Liberty (221). The host SRU women captured the championship with 36 points. Penn State notched second place with 70 points and Wayne State (83), Mercyhurst (114), Gannon (129), Westminster (157), Cuyahoga C.C. (177), Bethany (219) and West Liberty (226) rounded out the standings. Matt Grey of SRU won the men s 8K race with a time of 26:09. Mercyhurst s Christie Turak won the women s 6K meet with a time of 21:53. A total of 133 women runners competed, while Grey topped a field of 120 male runners. W&J s top finish on the men s side came from freshman Scott Ryan (Williamsville, N.Y./Williamsville East), who placed 27th (28:36). Classmate Benjamin Kopchick (Clarksburg, Pa./Saltsburg) earned 34th place (28:55), while senior Bryan Hanrahan (West Middlesex, Pa./West Middlesex) took 51st place (30:18). Senior Will Seymour (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) posted a time of 30:44 and placed 57th, while freshman Jacob Montag (Valencia, Pa./Mars) claimed 59th place (30:55). Sophomore Adam Toomey (Youngwood, Pa./Hempfield) recorded a time of 33:45 to place 84th, while sophomore Anthony Johnson (Pittsburgh, Pa./Peabody) earned 93rd place (37:05).
Freshman Erica Heidelberger (Kirkville, N.Y./East Syracuse-Minoa) topped the W&J women s runners with a 59th-place finish (27:18). Junior Laura Procario (Collegeville, Pa./Spring-Ford) placed 72nd (28:28), while sophomore Kate Loy (Pittsburgh, Pa./South Park) collected a 77th-place showing (28:38). Sophomore Liann Correia (Marion, Mass./Old Rochester) rounded out W&J s competitors in 96th place (31:07). W&J has two weeks to prepare for its next invitational at Hood University (Oct. 17th). W&J S SCOTT RYAN EARNS SECOND-STRAIGHT PAC WEEKLY HONOR (9/21) WASHINGTON, Pa. -- For the second week in a row, Washington & Jefferson College freshman men s cross country runner Scott Ryan (Williamsville, N.Y./Williamsville East) was named the Presidents Athletic Conference male athlete of the week on Monday afternoon by the conference office. Ryan finished eighth out of 112 runners at the Penn State-Behrend Invitational with a time of 26:53 in the 8K race. With his eighth-place finish, Ryan helped the Presidents finish sixth out of 12 teams at the event. Mount Union came in first place with 25 points. Ryan has claimed back-to-back top 10 finishes to begin his career at W&J. After finishing his first collegiate race (at Waynesburg) with a time of 27:15, Ryan is averaging 27:04 in 8K races this season. The Presidents will take the week off before returning to action on October 3rd, competing in the Slippery Rock Invitational at 11:00 am. Benjamin KopchickRYAN PLACES 8TH TO LEAD W&J AT PENN ST-BEHREND (9/19) ERIE, Pa. The Washington & Jefferson College men s and women s cross country teams participated at the Penn State-Behrend Invitational on Saturday. The Presidents men claimed sixth place out of 12 teams, while the W&J women competed as individuals. Division II California (Pa.) won the women s team championship with 30 points, while Mount Union earned the men s team title with 25 points. W&J accumulated 156 points on the men s side. Erin Kling of California (Pa.) won the women s 6K race by topping the field of 110 runners with a time of 23:35. Bryce Batista of MUC claimed the men s individual 8K race with 26:06. A total of 112 runners competed in the men s race.
Freshman Scott Ryan (Williamsville, N.Y./Williamsville East), this week s PAC Runner of the Week, led the Presidents with an eighth-place finish with a time of 26:53. Freshman Benjamin Kopchick (Clarksburg, Pa./Saltsburg) {pictured} finished close behind in 24th place (28:00). Senior Bryan Hanrahan (West Middlesex, Pa./West Middlesex) garnered 30th place (39:01), while freshman Jacob Montag (Valencia, Pa./Mars) and senior Will Seymour (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) took 53rd place and 54th place, respectively, after posting exact times of 29:58. The W&J women were paced by freshman Erica Heidelberger s (Kirkville, N.Y./East Syracuse- Minoa) 44th place showing (27:30). Sophomore Kate Loy (Pittsburgh, Pa./South Park) ran the course in a time of 28:44 and claimed 59th place, while sophomore Liann Correia (Marion, Mass./Old Rochester) notched 74th place (30:31). Freshman Brittany Mosi (South Park, Pa./South Park) rounded out W&J s runners in 93rd place (33:47). W&J takes two weeks off before its next invitational which will be hosted Oct. 3rd by Division II Slippery Rock University. W&J S SCOTT RYAN NAMED PAC ATHLETE OF THE WEEK (9/14) WASHINGTON, Pa. Washington & Jefferson College freshman men s cross country runner Scott Ryan (Williamsville, N.Y./Williamsville East) was named the Presidents Athletic Conference male cross country athlete of the week on Monday afternoon by the conference office. Ryan finished sixth out of 68 runners at the Waynesburg University Invitational with a time of 27:15.5 in the 8K race. With his sixth-place finish, Ryan helped the Presidents finish third out of six teams at the event. Carnegie Mellon University came in first place, while Geneva finished second. Ryan, who averaged a 5:27 mile pace throughout the race, was the only runner from a school other than CMU to finish in the top ten. The Presidents will be back in action on Saturday morning when they travel to Erie, Pa., for the Penn State-Behrend Invitational at 11:00 am. W&J CROSS COUNTRY OPENS SEASON AT WAYNESBURG (9/12) WAYNESBURG, Pa. - The Washington & Jefferson College men's and women's cross country teams opened the 2009 season on Saturday at the Waynesburg University Invitational.
The W&J men placed third of six teams, while the women's squad took sixth place of eight teams. CMU won both team titles with a perfect 15 points on each side. Freshman Scott Ryan (Williamsville, N.Y./Williamsville East) placed sixth overall in a 68- runner field with a time of 27:15, while classmate Benjamin Kopchick (Clarksburg, Pa./Saltsburg) placed 10 spots behind in 16th with a time of 27:17. Senior Bryan Hanrahan (West Middlesex, Pa./West Middlesex) crossed the finish line in 23rd place (28:54) and freshman Jacob Montag (Valencia, Pa./Mars) claimed 37th place (30:19). Senior Will Seymour (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) turned in a 48th-place showing (30:58), while sophomore Adam Toomey (Youngwood, Pa./Hempfield) placed 55th overall (37:44). Sophomore Jack Prudence (Bay Village, Ohio/Bay) was the Presidents' final finisher in 64th place (38:47). The Washington & Jefferson women were led by junior Laura Procario (Collegeville, Pa./Spring-Ford), who placed 19th among 62 runners with a time of 26:52. Freshman Erica Heidelberger (Kirkville, N.Y./East Syracuse-Minoa) finished close behind in 21st place (27:02), while sophomore Kate Loy (Pittsburgh, Pa./South Park) earned 29th place (28:31). Sophomore Liann Correia (Marion, Mass./Old Rochester) took 41st place (30:11) and freshman Brittany Mosi (South Park, Pa./South Park) closed out the W&J competitors in 51st place (32:00). Both squads return to action next Saturday at the Penn State-Behrend Invitational. Will Seymour2009 PRESIDENTS' CROSS COUNTRY SEASON PREVIEW (8/21) Jessica Cooper Named Cross Country Assistant Coach Washington & Jefferson College Head Cross Country Coach Mark FitzPatrick will be relying on youth during the 2009 season. The Presidents have only two seniors, Bryan Hanrahan and Will Seymour {pictured}, on both rosters this fall, but FitzPatrick is expecting both squads to improve upon last year's fourth-place PAC finishes. Hanrahan leads the men's returnees after notching Second Team All-Presidents' Athletic Conference laurels a year ago. Hanrahan placed 15th at the conference championships with a season-best time of 28:31 in the 8K race. Seymour collected a season-best 8K time of 28:32 at the Oberlin College Inter-Regional Rumble in October. Sophomore Adam Toomey is also expected to contribute to the Presidents' lineup, while five new faces will help the team's depth.
Three of the top seven men from a year ago are not competing for the 2009 squad as the trio is studying abroad for the fall semester. Senior Josh Bashioum (Egypt) and juniors Richard Koch (France) and Andrew Howard (China) have taken their studies overseas for the first half of the academic year. The W&J women will be without four-time All-Region performer Erin Long, who graduated as the most decorated women's cross country runner in school history. Junior Laura Procario {pictured} brings the most experience to the 2009 squad. The team captain notched a season-best 6K time of 26:11 at Oberlin last year and also placed 30th at the PAC Championships. Sophomores Liann Correia and Kate Loy improved throughout their freshman seasons and will be looking to earn a spot in the lineup each week. Loy finished the season with a 6,000 meter, career-best time of 27:45 at the PAC Championships, while Correia (29:14) posted her top mark in the 6K at Oberlin. W&J opens the 2009 season on September 12th at the Waynesburg Invitational. The PAC Championship will be on the line October 31st in Latrobe, Pa.