INDIANA, PA – The IUP men's cross country team is poised to gain an invitational to its first national championship meet in 21 years when the Crimson Hawks compete in the 2014 NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Championships this Saturday.
 
The regional championships are hosted by Slippery Rock University with the men running their 10K race at 11 a.m.
 
A pair of seniors lead the way for the men, as Ray Ofman (Armagh, Pa. /United) and Alex Hampel (Middletown, Del/Salesianum) have consistently been the Crimson Hawks' top two runners this year.
 
Ofman has been IUP's top runner in four of his five races this year, and earned all-conference honors with a 14th place finish at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) championships two weeks ago. His top 10K came at the regional championships two years ago when he ran a 32:19.
 
Hampel also took garnered All-PSAC recognition at the conference meet as he was IUP's top runner with a 10th place finish. His career-best 10K came at last year's regional race when he finished with a time of 32:34.
 
Another runner looking to help the Crimson Hawks is sophomore Greg Beaudette (Johnston, R.I./Bishop Hendricken), who also earned All-PSAC honors two weeks ago. His career-best 10K also came at last year's regionals, as he crossed the line in 32:53. Senior Tim Lynch (Harleysville, Pa. /Souderton) added to the list of all-conference runners for the Crimson Hawks as he finished 22nd overall at the PSAC meet and has a top 10K time of 32:51.
 
Also competing for the Crimson Hawks are juniors Caleb Cordell (Erie, Pa. /McDowell) and Andrew Morgan (Gold, Pa. /Northern Potter) and freshman Austin Cooper (King of Prussia, Pa. /Upper Merion High School ).
 
The top three teams at regionals will earns berths to compete in the NCAA Division II National Championships, while the top three finishing runners who are not on a qualifying team will advance as individuals.