SELINSGROVE, Pa. – After finishing third in both the men’s and women’s races last season, the Susquehanna University cross country squads are prepared to make a run at the top at the 2001 Middle Atlantic Conference Cross Country Championships on Saturday at Messiah College.

The women’s race begins at 12 noon while the men’s race gets underway at 1 p.m.

For the men, senior Mike Lehtonen and sophomore Ryan Gleason are the best bets to crack the top 10 for the second straight year while Kim Owen and Delina Cefaratti will lead the women’s squad into the conference championships.

Lehtonen (Laurens, NY/Morris Central H.S.) placed fourth last season with a time of 26:53.92, just 42 seconds behind champion Joe Fent of Scranton. Lehtonen has four top-ten finishes in as many races this season, including a season-best 27:01 at Dickinson.

Gleason (Johnstown, PA/Westmont Hilltop H.S.) has finished first in three races this year and added two other top ten finishes. An eighth-place finisher at the MAC championships as a freshman, Gleason’s season-best time is 26:21 at Dickinson.

Also competing for the Crusaders will be senior Jake Trevino (Danville, PA/Danville H.S.), sophomores Ryan McGuire (West Babylon, NY/West Babylon H.S.) and John Venturella (Severna Park, MD/Severna Park H.S.), and freshmen Tyson Snader (Lancaster, PA/Manheim Township H.S.), Leif Kauffman (Warminster, PA/Central Bucks East H.S.), Chris Seiler (Jarrettsville, MD/North Harford H.S.), Jeremy Apgar (Wantage, NJ/High Point Regional H.S.) and Steve Romberger (Lykens, PA/Upper Dauphin H.S.)

While Moravian, ranked first in Division III, looks for its ninth straight women’s title and a sweep of the top five positions, Owen (Hummelstown, PA/Lower Dauphin H.S.) will try to give the Crusaders the top non-Lady Greyhound finish in the field. She placed eighth at last year’s championships with a time of 20:06.09 and has finished in the top five in three of the five races in which she has competed this season.

Cefaratti (Topton, PA/Brandywine Heights H.S.) studied abroad last fall and missed the 2000 cross country season, but made a strong return this year with three top-five finishes. She ran a season-best 19:07 in last week’s event at Gettysburg College.

Also running for the Crusaders on Saturday will be senior Megan Marquette (Trevorton, PA/Line Mountain H.S.), juniors Angie Luino (Oakland, NJ/Indian Hills H.S.) and Erin Colwell (Belleville, PA/Indian Valley H.S.), sophomores Jordan Bolduc (Elkton, MD/Padua Academy), Kassi Tylenda (Windsor, NY/Windsor H.S.) and Amanda Phillips (Waymart, PA/Western Wayne H.S.) and freshmen Carolyn Dionisio (Avon, CT/Avon H.S.), Sarah Kaufhold (Millersville, PA/Penn Manor H.S.), Lauren Wlazlowski (Chambersburg, PA/Chambersburg H.S.).