2000 NCAA Division II
East Regional Championships

Men's 10km Results        Women's 6km Results

Saturday, November 4, 2000

*View Women's 6 Kilometer Course
*View Men's 10 Kilometer Course


Time          Men's Championship Preview    Women's Championship Preview      Site        Directions        Course Preview                Course Description


PLEASE DIRECT ANY OTHER QUESTIONS TO MEET DIRECTOR MARK ELLISTON AT 570-893-2635 OR mellisto@eagle.lhup.edu


Welcome to the NCAA Division II East Region Cross Country Championships, hosted by Lock Haven University.  We look forward to hosting this year’s competition, the first since the new regional alignment took place.  This year’s East Region is comprised of teams from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and West Virginia with 25 men’s teams and 27 women’s teams vying for spots at the 2000 NCAA Cross Country National Championships.  The top three teams and two individuals for both the men and women from the East Region will advance to the national meet to be held in Pomona, Calif. on November 18, 2000.  

The East Region Championships will be held on Saturday, November 4, 2000, beginning with the men’s 10 kilometer race at 11:00am and followed by the women’s six kilometer race at 12:00pm.  The course will be available for review on Friday, November 3, 2000 from 1:00pm to 4:30pm in addition to Saturday morning prior to the race.

Time:                                     11:00am~Men’s 10km Championship
                                               
12:00pm~Women’s 6km Championship
                                                2:00pm~Results and Awards

Site:                                       West Branch Cross Country Course
                                                Lock Haven University Foundation Fields
                                                Lock Haven, PA

Course Preview:                Friday, November 3, 2000               1:00pm-4:30pm
   
                                             Saturday, November 4, 2000          Prior to race 

Course Description:          Repeating Loops, 99% Grass, Spikes Recommended.  

 

Men's Championship Preview:
Though the 2000 NCAA East Region Championships will not contain schools from New England due to their reassignment to a newly-formed region, this year’s competition possesses the usual depth as in years past.  Though Edinboro University looks to continue its streak of success in the battle for the team title, any number of schools could earn the region’s two remaining bids to the NCAA Championships once the dust has settled.

                The No. 6-ranked Fighting Scots, winners of 15 of the previous 16 East Region titles, appear ready to add number 16 to their collection after dominating the field at last weekend’s Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championships with a 65-point margin of victory.  Individual winner Jeff Barker, a three-time All-American, led the Boro and is favored to add the region title to his resume. 

Teammates Aaron Rowe and Yi Min Wu could provide the red-shirt senior with his greatest competition after finishing two-three behind him in the PSAC race.  Wu is a two-time All-America selection after winning the NCAA Championships in 1998 and placing fourth in 1999.

No. 22-ranked Shippensburg University will battle several teams for an NCAA bid with their six-person pack time of just over one minute.  How high the Red Raiders can place their pack will determine their fate against teams such as host Lock Haven, who possess a more spread-out attack.  The Bald Eagles will utilize front-runner Rob Mortensen to lead their charge to a second consecutive bid to the NCAA Championships.  Twice an All-East Region selection, Mortensen has won four individual titles this season and suffered his only loss to Division II competition at last weekend’s PSAC Championships where he finished fourth.

West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference team champion Wheeling Jesuit University possesses a lethal one-two-three punch which is capable of ruining the PSAC run at all three NCAA bids.  Led by individual contender Will Sheets, winner of the WVIAC individual title, the Cardinals could easily sneak into one of the top three spots. 

Alderson-Broaddus College, a six-point runner-up to Wheeling Jesuit in the WVIAC, could also rain on the PSAC parade, and lead-runner Mikey Guinn should challenge the lead pack. 

Other team contenders include Kutztown University, which surprised many with their fourth-place finish in the PSAC, and squads from Slippery Rock University, West Chester University and Millersville University which rounded out the top seven places in the PSAC.  The four teams were separated by a mere 14 points. 

The ‘Ville’s Mark Stallings, West Chester’s Doug Mascherino and Slippery Rock’s Roch Furguiele finished fifth through seventh, respectively, at last weekend’s PSAC Championships and should all contend with the front-runners.  West Liberty College’s Ricky Moore, WVIAC champion in 1999, could provide the Hilltoppers with an individual berth to the NCAA’s as well.

Outside the PSAC and WVIAC, Westminster College’s Jacob Gleason has won six of his nine races this season, including a 37-second victory at last weekend’s Presidents’ Athletic Conference Championships, and should contend for all-region accolades.

Both the WVIAC and PSAC  Championships were contested on hilly courses, so the results on Lock Haven’s fast and flat course could see some surprise teams move up into contention.    

Women's Championship Preview:

Any number of women’s teams from the NCAA East Region are in the running for the three bids to the 2000 NCAA Division II National Championships, and with four returning All-Americans in the field, the race for the two individual berths is sure to be a battle to the end.

Perennial power Edinboro University, winner of six East Region team titles in the 90’s, appears to have a lock on the top spot after dominating the field at last weekend’s Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championships.  The No. 4-ranked Fighting Scots packed four runners in the two through five spots to claim the title.

Led by a core of upperclassmen, Edinboro’s individual title hopes lie with Kathy Breisch,  Ashley Hansen, and Carrie McKeon, who were separated by a mere 18 seconds last weekend.  All-American Lisa Petsche, the Boro’s number-four runner, finished 19th at last year’s national championship and is always a threat at the top.

Host Lock Haven University, the No. 18-ranked team in the nation, enters Saturday’s competition with visions of earning their first bid to nationals in school history.  Boasting a 51-second spread from their number one through six runners, The Haven will need to keep their pack toward the front of the field to keep their hopes alive.  Lauren Bechtel, Jana Kauffman and Beth Armstrong have all been at the front for the Lady Eagles throughout the season and should be in the running for all-region accolades.

No. 22-ranked Kutztown University, led by PSAC champion Megan Seefeldt, should also be in the running for a team berth after a strong showing at their conference championship.  Seefeldt earned All-America honors at last year’s NCAA championships by finishing in 20th place.

Strong contingents from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Shippensburg University and West Virginia Wesleyan College should also be in the mix at the top. 

Indiana’s Jessica Steck and Sara Raschiatore, the 1999 PSAC champion, provide the Indians with one of the region’s top one-two punches behind Edinboro, and a good performance by their supporting cast could vault them into the top three.  All-American Raschiatore is the region’s top returning runner after placing 17th at last year’s national meet as a freshman.

Shippensburg has received national attention this season, and could easily move into contention with a strong performance by their lead pack of five which was separated by a mere 47 seconds at last weekend’s PSAC championships.  The Lady Raiders edged Lock Haven at an earlier meeting on the West Branch Cross Country course to hand the Lady Eagles their only regular-season loss to a Division II opponent.

West Virginia Wesleyan defeated a strong Wheeling Jesuit squad to take the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship last weekend by 21 points.  WVIAC champion Beth Goolden will lead Wesleyan and could contend for an individual berth if the Lady Bobcats do not qualify as a team.

Looking to rebound from a disappointing sixth-place finish at last weekend’s PSAC championships, Millersville University definitely should not be left out of the team picture.  Returning All-American Meghan Edmiston and teammate Betty Mohler have been poised at the front for the Lady Marauders, who have been ranked as high as 14th in the nation this season.

West Chester University’s Kelly Walton, an All-American in 1998, should join East Stroudsburg’s Christel Hibbard at the front of the field in the individual battle along with Wheeling Jesuits’s Kristen Hetzel             

 

Directions to LHU’s West Branch Cross Country Course

From the North

Take US Route 220 South to the Lock Haven Exit.  Veer right off the exit and proceed down Paul Mack Blvd.  Go through two lights (first at Rt. 150 intersection and then at the Main St. intersection).  At the intersection with Water Street there will be a four way stop.  Proceed straight over the Veteran’s Memorial Bridge, taking a left at the “T” intersection on the other side.  Proceed ¾ of a mile to the West Branch Park Entrance on the left.

 From the South

Take US Route 220 North to the Lock Haven Exit.  There will be a light at the off-ramp where you will take a left onto Paul Mack Blvd.  Go through two lights (first at Rt. 150 intersection and then at the Main St. intersection).  At the intersection with Water Street there will be a four way stop.  Proceed straight over the Veteran’s Memorial Bridge, taking a left at the “T” intersection on the other side.  Proceed ¾ of a mile to the West Branch Park Entrance on the left.

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