Cross Country Prepares for 2011 DIII Mideast Region Championship Meet

BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Moravian College men and women's cross country teams travel DeSales University for the 2011 NCAA Division III Mideast Region Championship meet Saturday November 12th. The women's 6,000 meter race begins at 11 a.m. followed by the men's 8,000 meter race at noon.

Both Greyhound squads are currently ranked in the regional rankings with the men tenth and the women ninth, and the teams are each coming off of Landmark Conference Championships two weekends ago. Senior Matthew Lutzca (Dingmans Ferry, PA/Delaware Valley) led the men with a second place finish in 24:24.80 in 7,400 meters due to a fallen tree in the heavy wet snow. Classmate Cadee Rockwell (Sinking Spring, PA/Wilson West Lawn) was named Female Runner of the Meet after placing first in the women's 6K in 24:12.

The men, which won their first conference title since 1998, have four Landmark All-Conference runners, Lutzca, junior Donnie Noble (Souderton, PA/Souderton) and freshman Alec Duncan (Bloomfield, NJ/Bloomfield) all earned First Team honors while junior Dylan Marton (Somerville, NJ/Somerville) was named to the Second Team. Duncan was also named Landmark Conference Rookie of the Year.

Lutzca's top time in the 8K this year is a 25:57 while Noble has the second best time on the team with a 27:08. Duncan's best time is a 27:40 and Marton's is 27:25. ­Also competing for the men will be freshmen Dillon Farrell (North Wales, PA/Wissahickon) and Corey Schauerman (Media, PA/Penncrest). Farrell ran a 26:21.70 in the shortened race at the Landmark Conference race while Schauerman's best time this year is a 30:25.70 in the 8K.

The women's team, which captured its first conference championship since 2002, has four Landmark All-Conference runners. Rockwell, senior Kristina Ruggiero (Cedar Grove, NJ/Cedar Grove) and Claire DelCasale (Philadelphia, PA/St. Hubert's) were named to the First Team while freshman Emily Lambright (Chalfont, PA/Christopher Dock) earned Second Team honors.

Rockwell's best time this season is 22:04.70 while DelCasale's top-time is a 23:12.40. Ruggiero, who finished second behind Rockwell at the Landmark Conference Championship, has a top time of 23:25.30 while Lambright's top time is 24:31.60. Also running will be freshman Devon Bedell (Minot, ND/Cabrillo (CA)), who has a best time of 24:45.90. Freshman Jessie Goldberg (Conshohocken, PA/Plymouth Whitemarsh) has a top-time of 24:32.90. Senior Megan Hallowell (Bethlehem, PA/Liberty) and junior Emma Pacheco (Drescher, PA/Mount St. Joseph Academy) will both compete as well. Hallowell has a season best time of 25:18.90 while Pacheco has a top-time of 27:40.

Lutzca and Rockwell hope to repeat their performance from last year and make it back to the NCAA Division III National Championships at The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh on November 19th.

Lutzca was 21st in the regional last year to earn All-Region honors and become the first Moravian male to head to the NCAA Championships since 1996. Rockwell placed 16th in the regional, also being named to the All-Region team, and was the first female runner to go to the NCAA Championships since 2002.