Mideast Regional

With their first Mideast regional title, the Allegheny men showed why they are ranked so high in the national polls. Led by region champion Chris Marker (24:54) and runner-up Jeramie Parker (25:00), the men defeated 44 teams, including 4 nationally-ranked programs. Showing they have both speed up front and great depth, the Gators placed 6 men on the All-Region team this year. Also receiving All-Region awards were Zac Ross (15th place, 25:31), Tony Dipre (16th, 25:34), Jake Zimmerman (25th, 25:56), and Ryan Sullivan (31st, 26:04).

As one of the strongest regions in the country, the Mideast received five bids to the national championships next weekend. The Mideast teams that will join Allegheny on the starting line are Carnegie Mellon (2nd place at the regional championship), Haverford (3rd), Dickinson (4th), and Elizabethtown (5th). The 2009 NCAA Championship will be held in Cleveland, OH on Saturday, November 21st.



Although the women's team did not advance to the national championship, the day contained many successes. Senior Mia Symoniak continued to pace the team, placing 25th in a time of 22:48. Joining her on the All-Region team for the first time was junior Katie Stancik (31st, 23:07).

As a team, the women improved one spot on last year's finish, coming in 8th this year. The region was won by Johns Hopkins, who is currently ranked second in the nation.

With only two seniors competing on this year's championship team, the women have a positive outlook for the future. Those returning next year include Stancik, freshman Kelly Gallagher (50th, 23:40), sophomore Hallie Dilley (89th, 24:13), junior Sam Zink (97th, 24:22), and freshman Hannah Serlin (148th, 25:13).