Cross Country Men Head to Pre-Nationals, Women to Canisius

by YSU Sports Information

Saturday, Oct 13, 2018 2:25 pm

The Youngstown State men's and women's cross country teams will be back in action but at separate events, Saturday, Oct. 13. The men's team heads to Madison, Wisconsin, for Pre-Nationals hosted by the University of Wisconsin while the women's team travels to Buffalo, N.Y. for the Canisius Alumni Open.

Sebest Named Runner of the Week
Youngstown State freshman Maggie Sebest was named the Nike Horizon League Female Cross Country Runner of the Week, the league announced on Tuesday. This was the first weekly award of Sebest's career. Sebest led the Penguins to a first-place finish at the 2018 Disney World Cross Country Classic last weekend in Orlando, Fla. She finished seventh in the 5K race with time of 18:44.81, which was her second best time of the season. She ran a personal-best time of 18:44.21 at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational on Sept. 28.

Men's Team Impresses at ND Invite
The YSU men's team is coming off its best finish at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational on Sept. 28. The men finished second, which was a program-high at the ND invite, and were led by a pair of top 10 finishes by seniors Alan Burns and Ryan Sullivan. Burns finished seventh and posted a personal-best time of of 24:46.02, which is ranks fourth on the YSU all-time five-mile chart. Sullivan placed eighth with a time of 24:47.55. It marks the third straight race that Burns and Sullivan have posted top-10 finishes.

Polman Moves Into Top 15
Tyler Polman's time of 25:22.64 placed him 25th at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational and moved him into the 15th spot the YSU all-time list in the five-mile run. Now three current member of the men's team own a time in the program's top-15 in the 8K run. Ryan Sullivan ranks with a time of 24:36 and Alan Burns is fourth with a time of 24:46.

Women Post Personal Bests
Five runners posted personal-best times at the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational. Natalie Fleming turned in a personal-best time of 18:31.74, which ranks 15th in school history in the 5K run. Maggie Sebest posted a time of 18:44.21 while Jennifer Muhlenkamp ran a time of 18:57.23.  Casey Zaitzew recorded a time of 19:20.03 and Morgan Buckley posted a time of 19:22.65.

Men's Team 10th in Great Lakes Region
The men's team, which was idle last week, moved up to No. 10 in the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Great Lakes Region poll.

Up Next
After week off, the Youngstown State men's and women's cross country team will compete in the Horizon League Championships, Saturday, Oct. 27, in Kenosha, Wis.