CENTER VALLEY, Pa. – The Patriot League Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championships will be held this Saturday at Bucknell University’s Cross Country Course, as Army West Point’s men’s cross country team will be running for a repeat title, while the Bucknell women’s team will attempt to become the third women’s team to capture four-straight League titles.

The women's 6K race will begin at 11 a.m., followed by the men's 8K at noon. All 10 Patriot League schools will compete in the championships, with team scoring determined by each squad’s top-five finishers.

The Patriot League major awards will be distributed following the race based on the student-athletes individual finish during the championship. For both the men and the women, the individual champion will be named the Patriot League Runner of the Year while the top-finishing freshman earns the Patriot League Rookie of the Year. The top-seven finishers in both the men’s and women’s race make the All-Patriot League First Team, with the eighth through 14th-place runners making the second-team. The men’s and women’s Patriot League Coach of the Year awards will be voted on by the League's head coaches at the completion of both races.

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Patriot League Cross Country Championships Notebook
Bucknell Hosts Championships for the Fourth Time; First Since 2004
Bucknell hosts the Patriot League Cross Country Championships at its Cross Country Course for the fourth time overall and the first since the 2004 season. The course hosted its first championship in 1994, followed by subsequent races in 1998 and 2004. The American men and Army women were victorious in the 2004 race.

Top Returning Men's Cross Country Finishers in the Patriot League
Boston University junior Paul Luevano, the 2017 Patriot League Men’s Cross Country individual champion and first-team selection, returns to the men's race looking for a repeat title in this year’s Championship. Army West Point junior Robert Santoyo (3rd) and Navy junior Kevin Murray (5th) were also first-team finishers. Returning second-team finishers include Navy junior Jake Brophy (8th), a pair of juniors from Army West Point in Roman Ollar (9th) and Benjamin Petrella (12th), another pair from American in seniors Matthew Rainey (10th) and Benjamin Doiron (14th), along with Lehigh junior Jeffrey Kirshenbaum (11th). Army West Point sophomore Daniel Mazzei, the 2017 Patriot League Men’s Rookie of the Meet, also returns.

Top Returning Women's Cross Country Finishers in the Patriot League
This year’s field is loaded with ten returning 2017 All-Patriot League recipients, including five first-team honorees. Army West Point senior Abby Halbrook, the 2017 runner-up, is joined by Bucknell senior Colleen Buckley (3rd), American senior Adriana Hooks (4th), Navy junior Ali Valenti (6th) and Black Knights junior Bethany Nunnery (7th). Returning second-team selections include Lehigh junior Maura Henderson (8th), Navy’s sophomore Emily Craig (10th, 2017 Rookie of the Meet) and junior Grace West (11th), Bucknell senior Jenna Farmer (13th), and with Holy Cross junior Jenna Gasparrini (14th).

Army West Point Men Looking to Repeat; Bucknell Women Shooting for Four-in-a Row
The Army West Point men are looking to repeat after dethroning the Navy men last year, who had won four-straight team titles. Last year’s win was the Black Knights’ first since the 2008 season, when they shared the title with Navy. Army West Point Head Coach Mike Smith was named the 2017 Patriot League Men’s Cross Country Coach of the Year. The Bucknell women are going for their fourth-consecutive and twelfth overall title. Bucknell lost a tie-breaker to Boston University in 2014.

Army West Point and Navy Share Top Spot in Men’s Overall League Titles
With their victory in last year’s League Championship, Army West Point evened the score to rival Navy in overall Patriot League titles with eight each. American and Bucknell are next with six titles apiece, while Lehigh is the only other school to have won a men’s cross country championship with a victory in the 2012 championship.

Bucknell Leads Women's Programs in League Titles
Bucknell has the most Patriot League Women’s Cross Country Championships with 11. Bison Head Coach Kevin Donner, the defending Patriot League Women’s Cross Country Coach of the Year, has led the squad to seven of their 10 championships. Army West Point has five Patriot League women's titles, Navy has four, Boston University and American have two apiece and Lehigh, Lafayette and Colgate each have one.

Patriot League in the USTFCCCA Polls
*In the latest USTFCCCA DI Region Men’s Top-15 rankings published on Oct. 15, Army West Point placed third in the Northeast Region, with Boston University dropping out of the top-15 for the first time this season.
*In the Mid-Atlantic Region Men’s Top-15 poll, Navy is No. 6, Lehigh dropped a spot to No. 13, Bucknell placed No. 14, and American fell from the Top-15 from the previous week’s poll.
*In the USTFCCCA Mid-Atlantic Region Women’s Top-15 rankings, Bucknell gained a spot to No. 8, Navy advanced two places to No. 9, and Lehigh held at No. 13.

2018 M-F Athletic Patriot League Weekly Award Winners
Male Runner of the Week: Connor McMenamin, Bucknell (Sept. 4); Jake Brophy, Navy (Sept. 11); Jake Brophy, Navy (Sept. 18); Paul Luevano, Boston University (Sept. 25); Jake Brophy, Navy (Oct. 2); Roman Ollar, Army West Point (Oct. 16); Scott Gulizio, Bucknell (Oct. 23)

Female Runner of the Week: Grace West, Navy (Sept. 4); Payton Capes-Davis, Bucknell (Sept. 11); Jenna Gasparrini, Holy Cross (Sept. 18); Colleen Buckley, Bucknell (Sept. 25); Grace West, Navy (Oct.2); Colleen Buckley, Bucknell (Oct. 16); Tiara Tardy, Bucknell (Oct. 23)

Male Rookie of the Week: Marshall Beatty, Army West Point (Sept. 4); Brendan O’Toole, Bucknell (Sept.11); Jack Good, Lehigh (Sept. 18); Brendan O’Toole, Bucknell (Sept. 25); David Nelsen, Navy (Oct. 2); Marshall Beatty, Army West Point (Oct. 16); Matt Cervon, Bucknell (Oct. 23)

Female Rookie of the Week: Shelby Piccinic, Army West Point (Sept. 4); Emily Deschler, Bucknell (Sept. 11); Jade Sessions, Lehigh (Sept. 18); Jessica Kellar, Boston University (Sept. 25); Jessica Kellar, Boston University (Oct. 2); Shelby Piccinic, Army West Point (Oct. 16); Olivia Dyer, Bucknell (Oct. 23)

ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its third decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.