The Bison men’s and women’s cross country teams sent runners to compete in the Penn State National Open on Oct. 12, with both teams finishing in 20th place. On Oct. 13, the men’s and women’s teams also sent eight and 15 runners, respectively, to compete in the Gettysburg Invitational. The women’s team clinched fourth place in a field of 30 teams, while the men’s team finished in sixth place among 28 teams.

At State College, the women’s team faced a competitive field of teams, including five nationally ranked teams and 13 teams from Power Five Conferences. Colleen Buckley ’19 took 26th place among a field of 289 runners, finishing the 6k course with a time of 21:11. Buckley was the top finisher among three Patriot League teams represented in the race.

Margaret Thomson ’19, Ashley Blair ’21, and Jenna Farmer ’19 also finished in the top half of the field.

On the men’s side, Jacob Stupak ’20 crossed the finish line first for the Bison, taking 68th place out of a field of 206 runners. Chad Sussman ’19 joined Stupak in the top half of the field, earning 100th place.

In the Gettysburg Invitational, Lauren Gronbeck ’20 led the Orange and Blue to an 11th place finish in the 6k race with a time of 23:27 among 318 runners. Four other Bison runners finished in the top 30 spots while three other runners rounded out the top 50 places.

For the men, Matthew Vira ’20 and Terryl Ferrell ’20 finished among the top. Vira finished 32nd with a time of 27:11 while Ferrell finished in 34th with a time of 27:17. The Orange and Blue had five other runners in the top 100, good enough for a sixth place finish among 28 teams.

Coming off this past weekend, the teams now prepare for the Bison Tuneup on Oct. 19, their last meet before the Patriot League Championships.