WEST CHESTER, Pa. – West Chester University’s men’s cross country squad was picked to finish 11th in a poll of the PSAC head coaches it was announced by the conference on Friday. The Golden Rams are coming off an 11th-place finish at the 2007 PSAC Men’s Cross Country Championships a year ago.
Edinboro, who received 11 first-place votes, was picked to repeat as conference champion. The Fighting Scots ended a four-year run by Lock Haven with that title. However, the Scots had won 18 of 19 championships, between 1984 and 2002, prior to the Bald Eagles’ recent run.
Slippery Rock, returning last year’s runner of the year, was slotted second with four first-place votes to its credit. Lock Haven was third.
West Chester must find a way to replace All-East runner Tommy Pearson if the Golden Rams are to move up in the standings at the championships. Junior Matt Langdale will lead a very young and inexperienced group into 2008. West Chester returns just three runners from last year’s club.
The Rams’ top runner will be Langdale with sophomore John Hedrick, who missed the conference meet last year with a back injury after being West Chester’s No. 4 runner for most of the season. Sophomore Mike Malejko should step up a couple of rungs on the Rams’ ladder and secure the No. 3 slot. They are the only three veteran harriers on West Chester’s 2008 roster.
Langdale was among WCU’s top three finishers on six occasions and placed eighth at the Delaware Valley Invitational.
Men
1. Edinboro (11)
2. Slippery Rock (4)
3. Lock Haven
4. Shippensburg
5. Bloomsburg
6. California (Pa.)
7. Mansfield
8. East Stroudsburg
9. Millersville
10. Kutztown
11. West Chester
12. Indiana (Pa.)
13. Mercyhurst
14. Gannon
15. Cheyney