Eagles Look to Challenge for Championship Title Saturday
HUNTINGDON, Pa. – The Juniata College men's and women's cross country teams are gearing up for the Landmark Conference Championship meet in Washington, D.C. Saturday, November 2. Catholic University is hosting the meet at the United States Soldiers and Airmen's Home. The women kick off the competition with a 6-kilometer race at 11 a.m. The men's 8-kilometer race follows at 12 p.m.
By: Dana Relation
Sports Information Assistant
relatdm10@juniata.edu • juniatasports.net
Photo: JD Cavrich Photography
HUNTINGDON, Pa. – The Juniata College men's and women's cross country teams are gearing up for the Landmark Conference Championship meet in Washington, D.C. Saturday, November 2. Catholic University is hosting the meet at the United States Soldiers and Airmen's Home. The women kick off the competition with a 6-kilometer race at 11 a.m. The men's 8-kilometer race follows at 12 p.m.
Senior standout Katrina Woods (Shirleysburg, Pa./Mount Union) has been the top female runner in the Landmark this year. Woods broke the Juniata and Landmark 6K record in 21:44.20 at the Lock Haven Invitational on September 21. She finished as last year's runner-up in the championship race, and looks to capture first place this year. Sophomore Jecenia Duran (Temple, Pa./Oley Valley) and junior Courtney Peterson (York, Pa./Central York) are also hoping to crack the top 20 and help the Eagles capture their second conference title.
The Juniata women were slated to finish fifth in the Landmark preseason poll. In the six years of the Landmark Conference, there have been five different winners on the women's side. Juniata was crowned champion in 2007, the inaugural year of the conference.
On the men's side, the Eagles will look to senior Nate Alter (Pittsburgh, Pa./Taylor Allderdice) to turn in a good performance on Saturday. Alter was last year's runner-up and he currently holds the third fastest time in the Landmark in the 8K. Other key performers will be sophomore Ryan Bogdan (Buffalo, N.Y./Canisius), freshman Nick Simpson (Silver Spring, Md./Albert Einstein), sophomore Matt Guetzlaff (Schnecksville, Pa./Parkland), freshman Xavier Cachon (Bala Cynwyd, Pa./Lower Merion), and junior Nick Trapane (Thumont, Md./Catoctin), each of whom has clocked a top 30 time in the 8K this season.
The Eagles were chosen to place third overall in the conference preseason poll. The men's team has never been crowned champion, but has been runner-up three times, most recently in 2010.
Admission to both races is free for all spectators. Directions to the course can be found here.
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