SELINSGROVE, PA - After finishing in the top third of both the Middle Atlantic Conference and NCAA Mideast Regional meets in 2005, the Susquehanna University men's and women's cross country teams are aiming to chase the elite of the conference and region in 2006.

Fourth-year head coach Marty Owens welcomes back 10 men's and nine women's letterwinners, as well as three of the top five men's and four of the top five women's finishers from the Mideast Regional meet.

The MAC championships will be held October 28 at DeSales University while the NCAA Mideast Regional meet will be November 11 at Waynesburg College.

MEN'S PREVIEW

Even with a veteran men's squad, youth is slated to lead the way as freshman Paul Thistle (Blue Bell, PA/Wissahickon) is penciled in as the squad's number-one runner, after finishing eighth in the PIAA Class AAA state championship meet last fall. He will be joined by senior Tyson Snader (Lancaster, PA/Manheim Township), who took 12th in the MAC and 55th in the region last season, and junior Joe Ramsey (Snydertown, PA/Shikellamy), who was 24th in the conference and 80th in the region.

Sophomores JJ Brooks (Cogan Station, PA/Meadowbrook Christian) and Chris Tierney (Feeding Hills, MA/Agawam) will also be top contributors this season after solid freshmen seasons, while sophomore Jon Kunhardt (Greenfield, MA/Frontier Regional) makes his cross country debut after a solid indoor and outdoor track and field season at middle distance.

Senior Kyle Snyder (Harrisburg, PA/Central Dauphin East) is back after he finished 21st at last year's MAC championship meet then battled injuries during track and field season, and will contend for a lineup spot with freshman Garret Martucci (Sussex, NJ/Vernon Township) along with seniors Ken Dammers (Sussex, NJ/Vernon Township) and Doug Haines (Flourtown, PA/Springfield).

WOMEN'S PREVIEW

Senior Heather Matta (Redlands, CA/Westfield, MA) narrowly missed an at-large berth to last year's NCAA Division III Championships after finishing 15th at the regional meet with a time of 23:14.8, following a third-place finish at the MAC championships (23:32.26).

Juniors Sara Jagielski (Grand Isle, VT/Rice Memorial) and Erica Zornig (South Windsor, CT/South Windsor) each will look to replicate strong showings at the MAC championships, where Jagielski finished 22nd and Zornig 36th in 2005.

Fellow juniors Katherine Bell (Lititz, PA/Manheim Township) and Krissie Goulart (Ridgewood, NJ/Ridgewood) are joined by sophomores Laura Gausmann (York, PA/West York) and Samantha McBreen (Port Carbon, PA/Nativity BVM) in the lineup, with Gausmann returning after missing the tail end of last season with an injury.