LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – For the first time since 1993, IUP will send its men's cross country team to the national championships as the Crimson Hawks finished in third place at the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Championships on Saturday.
Seniors
Austin Cooper (King of Prussia, Pa./Upper Merion),
Greg Beaudette (Johnston, R.I./Bishop Hendricken) and
Dalton Trump (Lancaster, Pa./J.P. McCaskey) led the way with all-region performances, finishing in sixth, seventh and 12th place, respectively. Cooper ran the 10K in 31:10.7, Beaudette trailed at 31:15.1, and Trump followed in 31:48.6.
RESULTS
Two other runners finished in the top 30 for IUP, with freshman
Sam Lenze (Indiana, PA) crossing in 28th with a time of 32:33.0 and sophomore
Noah Mandel (Erie, Pa./Harbor Creek) coming in 30th with a time of 32:35.7.
The Crimson Hawks have sent individual runners to the NCAA Division II Championships each of the last four years, and barely missed team appearances with fourth place finishes at regionals in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
The top three teams at regionals earn automatic bids to compete in the NCAA Championships. This year's final meet is in Evansville, Ind. on Saturday, Nov. 18.
IUP scored 83 points, trailing Atlantic Region champion Shippensburg (35 points) and second place Edinboro (66 points).
Up next
IUP will gear up for the 2017 NCAA Division II Championships over the next two weeks. Go to IUPAthletics.com and NCAA.com for more meet information.
Follow
For up-to-date game information, visit www.IUPAthletics.com and follow IUP cross country on Twitter @IUPCrimsonHawk and @IUPtrackNfield.
