LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Senior
Alex Hampel (Middletown, Del./Salesianum) earned an individual berth to the NCAA championships but the IUP men's cross country team just missed out, finishing fourth overall as a team at the 2015 NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Championships on Saturday in Lock Haven.
Hampel was one of top three individual runners not from a qualifying team, finishing 19th overall with a time of 31:46.0 on the 10K course. His finish was the best of any IUP runner, crossing the line just in front of classmate
Ray Ofman (Armagh, Pa. /United), who came in 20th overall with a time of 31:52.3.
Redshirt freshman
Hutson Baumann (Ellicott City, Md./Centennial High School) and junior
Greg Beaudette (Johnston, R.I./Bishop Hendricken) finishing neck and neck, crossing the line in 22nd and 23rd place, respectively. Baumann crossed the line in 31:56.4 while Beaudette was right behind in 31:56.5.
All four runners earned All-Atlantic Region honors by finishing in the top 25 overall.
As a team, IUP finished with 114 points, just nine behind third place Edinboro (105). The top three teams in the Atlantic Region earned bids to the 2015 NCAA Division II Championships in Joplin, Mo.
The Crimson Hawks had five runners in the top 30 overall while Edinboro had five in the top 40. However, the Fighting Scots had three finish in the top 16, including a third place overall runner. Shippensburg was the regional champion while Lock Haven finished second.
Other finishers for the Crimson Hawks included
Andrew Morgan (Gold, Pa. /Northern Potter) in 30th with a time of 32:25.5;
Caleb Cordell (Erie, Pa. /McDowell) in 43rd with a time of 32:55.8; and
Austin Cooper (King of Prussia, Pa. /Upper Merion High School ) came in 53rd with a time of 33:23.7.
The 2015 NCAA Championships are two weeks from now on Saturday, Nov. 21 in Joplin.
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP cross country on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPtrackNfield.
