September 13, 2012

Red Devils Ranked and Ready for Regional Showdown

(Carlisle, Pa.) – The Dickinson men's and women's cross country teams are on the run and both ranked in the U.S. Track & Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (UST&FCCCA) national coaches poll. The Red Devil women are 16^th nationally and rank second in the Mideast Region. The men's team is currently third in the Mideast Region and ranked 21^st, nationally.

The Dickinson women captured a remarkable 19^th consecutive Little Three Championship last week, defeating Franklin & Marshall and Gettysburg. They were led by junior Sara Patterson (Houston, Texas/St. John's School) who crossed the line third overall. The Red Devils also claimed the next four sports and 13 of the next 15 places to keep the streak alive.

First-year Mackenzie Shelgren (Boxford, Mass./Masconomet Regional), sophomore Sarah Rutkowski (Swarthmore, Pa./Strath Haven), junior Anne Dyroff (Wayne, Pa./Radnor) and sophomore Molly Thorne (Towson, Md./Towson) claimed those four spots, all finishing under 20 minutes.

The men's team turned in a truly dominant performance to claim their 16^th consecutive Little Three title. Senior Andrew Fine (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood) captured the first collegiate win of his career, becoming the 13^th straight individual winner for the Dickinson men.

Fine narrowly edged teammates Omar Hyjek (Sewickley, Pa./Quaker Valley) and Ryan Steinbock (Pittsburgh, Pa./Chartiers Valley) for the title as the three runners finished within two seconds of each other. The Red Devil men posted a pair of perfect scores, capturing the top eight spots in the race.

Both teams travel to the Yellowjacket Invitational at the University of Rochester this weekend. That race will feature some of the top programs in New York as many of the teams are ranked both nationally and in the Atlantic Region. Eight of the top ten women's programs from the Atlantic Region will be in attendance, including SUNY Geneseo, who holds the top spot in the region and ranks fourth in the country, and St. Lawrence University, ranking second and 10^th, nationally.

The men will face six regionally ranked opponents with four of them holding a spot on the national poll. SUNY Geneseo is also a strong favorite in the men's race, holding rankings of fourth in the nation and first in the region. SUNY Cortland ranks ninth nationally with host Rochester also ranking in the top 20.

The Red Devils will then host the Dickinson Long Course/Short Course Invitational on September 29^th as part of Homecoming Weekend. The Invitational will be held at Big Spring High School, which will also be the site of the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships on November 10^th.