PAC CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL (Race details, directions, live results, and more)
LIVE STREAM
LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis cross country teams are ready to make their first appearance at the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Championships, and the Red Wolves have no intention of simply being spectators.
Youngstown State University will host Saturday's championship meet at the Mill Creek MetroParks in Canfield, Ohio. The women's 6,000-meter race is scheduled for 11 a.m., followed by the men's 8,000-meter race at noon.
For the first time, the PAC will livestream the race on the PAC Digital Network.
While the Red Wolves are ineligible to compete for the team championship as they continue their transition from Division I to Division III, head coach Doug Hoover and his teams enter the meet with plenty to prove and the intention of competing for top finishes.
Neither team was included in the conference's preseason championship poll, but Saint Francis has put together a strong regular season and has already tested itself against several PAC opponents. The women have defeated all three conference schools they have faced, while the men have posted a 3-1 record against PAC competition.
Women's Race Preview
The Saint Francis women have been led all year by junior Nina Connors, junior Rosemary Gaydos and senior Jordan Dean.
Top PAC returners from last year are Saint Vincent junior Grace Neubert, who finished in the runner-up position last year, and Geneva junior Audrey McAlister, who finished seventh last year. Other top contenders include Grove City senior Cayla Lawrence and freshman Josie Jones.
Saint Francis' other contenders include senior Sarah Colman, senior Isabella Leger, junior Mackenzie Hirt, sophomore Savannah Hoover, sophomore Abigail Sheehan, senior Ryan Wilson, senior Lauren Lomago, and freshmen Megan Friday, Morgan Davis and Madeline Friday.
Grove City enters the women's championship as the top-ranked team in the PAC pre-championship poll, followed by Saint Vincent and Franciscan. Defending co-champion Washington & Jefferson will also be among the teams to watch.
Over the last three years, no team in the conference has established dominance, as Grove City won the team title three years ago, and Allegheny won it two years ago. No team has finished in the top three in all three of these years. So the stage is set for another exciting race.
Men's Race Preview
On the men's side, Saint Francis will rely on a group that has been led by juniors Collin Dreese and Michelangelo Piccirillo, senior Aaron Tressler and sophomore Micah Brydon. Other runners to watch include senior Wyatt Foster and sophomores Ryan Young and Nick Kupniewski.
Washington & Jefferson senior Dom Flitcraft is the defending conference champion and has finished among the top three individuals in each of the previous three years. The other top returners are Washington & Jefferson sophomore Wyatt Stroup (third last year), Grove City sophomore Colsen Frank (fourth last year) and Franciscan sophomore Max Bruns (fifth last year).
The Red Wolves will face a deep field led by defending champion Geneva, which was picked by the PAC coaches as the favorite. Grove City was ranked second, followed by Washington & Jefferson in third.
Like the women's race, the men's team competition has seen several different champions in recent years. Saint Vincent captured the title three years ago before Franciscan won two years ago. Geneva broke through last season to claim its first men's cross country championship, finishing well ahead of Grove City.
Despite not being eligible for the team championship, Saint Francis runners can earn PAC Coaches Honors by finishing among the top 21 in their respective races.
