West Chester’s men and women’s cross country teams each placed 15th in the 2011 NCAA East Regionals on Saturday at Slippery Rock University.
The men’s team placed 15th of 25 teams with a total of 430 points, while the women’s team competed against 23 teams and finished with 351 points.
The men’s team earned the same ranking at Regionals last fall, running with four freshmen and one sophomore on Saturday.
Freshman Zack Musselman led the way as the Golden Rams’ top scorer on the day, finishing 77th with a time of 35 minutes, 20 seconds. Musselman’s time was the sixth best on this course in the past eight years.
Curran Kneebone finished 85th in 35:39, and while Chris Bucci was 91th in 35:56. Sean Sebeck finished just behind him with 93rd 35:39.
The women’s team came in 15th despite losing their fastest runner, Kristina Koutsourus.
The Golden Rams entered Regionals with four freshmen and one junior, with only one runner experienced in running at Regionals.
West Chester showed its flexibility without its No. 1 runner, as Kathleen Casey completed the course in the fastest time by a Golden Rams runner in the past eight years. She placed 33rd with a time of 23:44.
Kim McManus placed 56th with a time of 24:21, while Brittney Boyer finished 81st in 25:01.
McManus competed in her last Regionals of her college career, as the senior will graduate this coming year.
West Chester finished off their season on a high note, showing a promising future for the young team. The Golden Rams men’s team will not lose any runners due to graduation this year, and will continue to develop their team over the offseason.
Musselman is one of the most consistent runners this season, and as a freshman, he will have three more years to fill his potential.
In addition to Musselman, the men’s team has three other freshmen, three sophomores, and four juniors.
The women’s team also has a lot of young talent to work with for the upcoming season. The team is composed of 12 freshman and four sophomores—only four seniors will be leaving the team this season.
Brynn Dougherty is a fourth-year student majoring in economics and finance with a minor in journalism. She can be reached at BD670913@wcupa.edu.