SELINSGROVE, PA – The Susquehanna University men’s and women’s cross country teams are preparing for Saturday’s NCAA Mideast Regional at Winter Place Park in Salisbury, MD. The men’s 8-kilometer race begins at 11 a.m. while the women’s 6-kilometer race starts at noon.

Over 80 teams and 500 competitors will be represented at the meet, with the top three men’s teams and top two women’s squads qualifying for the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota on November 23. In addition, the top seven men’s and women’s at-large finishers will also qualify for NCAA’s.

The Susquehanna men, who finished fifth at the Middle Atlantic Conference championships two weeks ago and 11th at last year’s regional meet, will be led by junior Ryan Gleason (Johnstown, PA/Westmont Hilltop H.S.). A three-time top-10 finisher at the MAC championships, Gleason finished 13th at last year’s regional meet and earned a berth in the 2001 NCAA Division III championships.

Two other Crusader runners have a chance at earning an NCAA championship bid, as sophomore Tyson Snader (Lancaster, PA/Manheim Township H.S.) finished 13th at the MAC championships while freshman Shane Cartwright (Cranston, RI/Cranston East H.S.) took 19th in the conference meet.

Also in action for the Crusader men will be freshmen Jadrien Deibler (Snydertown, PA/Shikellamy H.S.), Chris Wiegand (Coatesville, PA/Downingtown H.S.) and Anthony Losorelli (Doylestown, PA/Central Bucks East H.S.) along with sophomores Chris Seiler (Jarrettsville, MD/North Harford H.S.), Steve Romberger (Lykens, PA/Upper Dauphin H.S.) and Jeremy Apgar (Wantage, NJ/High Point Regional H.S.) and junior Ryan McGuire (West Babylon, NY/West Babylon H.S.).

On the women’s side, Susquehanna will look to bounce back from a sixth-place finish at the MAC championships one year after finishing sixth in the Mideast Regional meet.

Senior Erin Colwell (Belleville, PA/Indian Valley H.S.) was Susquehanna’s top finisher at the conference championship with an 11th-place performance. Also in action at the regional meet will be juniors Jordan Bolduc (Elkton, MD/Padua Academy) and Amanda Phillips (Waymart, PA/Western Wayne H.S.) along with freshman Amber Swiatocha (East Stroudsburg, PA/East Stroudsburg North H.S.) and senior Kate Badman (Hanover, PA/South Western H.S.).