SELINSGROVE, PA – The Susquehanna University men's and women's cross country teams will be running at the NCAA Mideast Regional on Saturday, hosted by Waynesburg College .

The men's 8-kilometer race will begin at 11:00 a.m. while the women's 6-kilometer race will start at 12:00 p.m. Both races will be held at the Greene County Airport, which will be closed during the event.

Susquehanna's men finished seventh at the Middle Atlantic Conference championships two weeks ago and were 12th at last year's regional meet, while the women were fifth at this year's MAC championship meet and 14th at regionals one year ago.

The top two teams will automatically qualify for the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships at Wilmington (Ohio) College next Saturday, Nov. 18. The top seven individual finishers who are not part of a qualifying team will also earn a spot at nationals.

The Crusader men are paced by freshman Paul Thistle (Blue Bell, PA/Wissahickon), who was named MAC Rookie of the Year after finishing fifth at the conference championships. Senior Tyson Snader (Lancaster, PA/Manheim Township) was the Crusaders' top finisher at regionals last year and finished ninth at the MAC championships two weeks ago.

Junior Joe Ramsey (Sunbury, PA/Shikellamy) is coming off a 35th-place finish at the MAC championships while freshman Garret Martucci (Sussex, NJ/Vernon Township) placed 39th, and senior Doug Haines (Flourtown, PA/Springfield) finished 54th .

Senior Kyle Snyder (Harrisburg, PA/Central Dauphin East) and junior Eric Johnson (Harrisburg, PA/Central Dauphin East) will round out the Crusader lineup after finishing 86th and 102nd, respectively, at the conference championships.

For the Crusader women, senior Heather Matta (Redlands, CA/Westfield, MA) will be a contender for an individual NCAA berth after finishing second at the MAC championships and taking 15th at last year's regional meet.

Junior Erica Zornig (South Windsor, CT/South Windsor) will aim to build upon her 17th-place finish at the MAC championships, while sophomore Laura Gausmann (York, PA/West York) was 46th in the conference and junior Sara Jagielski (Grand Isle, VT/Rice Memorial) came in 66th place.

Also in action for the Crusaders will be junior Krissie Goulart (Ridgewood, NJ/Ridgewood), who was 73rd in the conference championships, sophomore Lindsay Moreau (Lagrangeville, NY/Arlington), a 77th-place finisher at the MAC meet, and freshman Cait Pflaum (York, PA/West York) who captured 79th place.