The fall sports season is underway, and West Chester University’s men’s cross country team is back in action and looking to build off of a successful 2021 campaign.
The Golden Rams have the benefit of returning many of their runners from last year including Amir Cubbage, David Kramer, Cole Smith and Philip Smith. Cubbage, a sophomore from Glenside, finished 39th overall in the PSAC Championship a year ago, leading the Golden Rams men’s team to an 11th place finish.
In addition to returning many of their runners, WCU is also welcoming a deep freshman class. Aaron Coleman, Nicholas Falsone, Jason Schumaker, Jason Vogt and William Zane are all joining the squad and will look to learn from the veterans and help propel the Golden Rams to a top 10 finish this year.
With a talented group of runners leading the way for the men’s team, they have high expectations heading into the season. The team was ranked 10th in the PSAC heading into the campaign, and they have gotten off to a nice start in the team’s first two meets. In the Galen Piper Cross Country Challenge on Sept. 2, the Golden Rams finished in fourth place with Cubbage and Vogt leading the way, placing in the top 20 of all runners. Cubbage finished the 6k run with a time of 20:16 while Vogt crossed the finish line at 20:39. In the DII/DII Challenge at Kutztown University on Sept. 16, WCU’s men’s team finished in the top 10 with Cubbage leading the way once again with a 37th place finish out of 142 runners. Vogt, Kramer and Schumaker all finished in the top half as well for the Golden Rams.
Elsewhere in the PSAC rankings, Edinboro took the top spot with Shippensburg coming right behind. The (Edinboro) Fighting Scots received 15 first place votes, while the (Shippensburg) Raiders received one tally. Lock Haven, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and Slippery Rock round out the top 5 of the preseason poll. WCU is right behind California University of Pennsylvania for the ninth spot with Mercyhurst holding down eleventh.
Looking ahead, the Golden Rams will travel to Lehigh University this Friday for the 48th Annual Paul Short Run. Following this meet they will participate in the Jack St Clair Invitational in Philadelphia on Saturday, Oct. 15 and wrap up regular season play with the LVC Last Chance Run Fast Invitational in Annville on Friday, Oct. 21. Once the regular season ends, the Golden Rams will look forward to the PSAC and NCAA Atlantic Region Championships taking place in November.
WCU has a lot to prove for the rest of this season if they want to improve on last year’s 11th place overall finish, however these runners are up for the challenge and will look to prove to everyone that they are a legit contender.
To keep up with the cross country team and all things sports, visit the Golden Rams Athletics website, where you will find scheduling information, ticket sales, and team statistics all in one place.
Erick Klambara is a fourth-year Media & Culture major with a minor in Journalism. EK924666@wcupa.edu