Cross Country Teams Race At Cold, Rainy Paul Short Invitational

BETHLEHEM, Pennsylvania -- The Penn State Brandywine cross country teams endured cold, rainy conditions while competing Friday afternoon at the Paul Short Invitational, one of the top races in the region annually. The Lion men placed 38th as a team, while the women finished 41st.

Leading the way for the men was freshman John Li (Upper Darby, Pa./Upper Darby), who took 179th in the 308-runner College White Division race that featured some of the top NCAA Division II and Division III runners with a time of 30:14.

Senior Alex Rivera-Santiago (New Castle, Del./Delcastle) crossed the finish line in 31:32, besting his time at last year's Paul Short Invitational by 67 seconds. Senior Sam Houlette (Chester Springs, Pa./Salesianum) finished in 32:56, while sophomore Mario Miceli (Kennett Square, Pa./Unionville) posted a time of 34:16 and junior Kason Laventure (Lansdowne, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara) finished six seconds following Miceli.

In the women's 5K College White Division race, sophomore Robyn Gannon (Lansdowne, Pa./Archbishop Prendergast) was Brandywine's top competitor, placing 209th with a time of 28:10. Sophomore Annie Mueller (Lincoln University, Pa./Homeschooled) crossed the line 27 seconds after Gannon.

The Lions' Amanda Isenberger, Jessica Powers (Morton, Pa./Ridley) and Kristen Hall (Malvern, Pa./Great Valley) all finished within 30 seconds of each other. Isenberger took a time of 31:13, while Powers finished in 31:22 and Hall posted a time of 31:43.

Dieter Gutbrod of Southern Connecticut was the men's individual champion, while the University of Mary Washington claimed the men's team title. West Chester's Amanda Eisman was the women's individual medalist and Haverford took the team crown.

Brandywine is idle until October 17 when it travels to University Park for the PSUAC Championships with both teams looking to top last year's second-place finishes.