Brian Abel
Brian Abel

Abel, Mooney Land First PSUAC Weekly Awards Of 2019

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State Brandywine sophomores Brian Abel (Amesbury, Mass./Amesbury) and Catharine Mooney (Garnet Valley, Pa./Garnet Valley) claimed the first Penn State University Athletic Conference Cross Country Runner of the Week awards of 2019, with Abel the men's representative and Mooney the women's winner, the league announced on Tuesday.

Abel ran to first place at the Delaware Valley Invitational for the second-straight year. He is the only Lion in team history to claim individual medalist honors at any invitational. Abel's first-place finish, along with four additional teammates who finished in the top 10, helped Brandywine win the team title, the first in the 10-year history of the program.

Abel, who is now a five-time PSUAC Runner of the Week during his career, completed the 6K race in 21:15, besting teammate Alex Rosenberry (Etters, Pa./West Shore Christian), who was the runner-up, by 65 seconds.

Mooney collected a top-three finish at the DelVal Invitational for the second consecutive year. She posted a time of 28:35 during the women's 6K race to claim third. Mooney also earned a PSUAC Runner of the Week nod last season following the DelVal Invitational.

Both runners were First Team All-PSUAC performers during the 2018 season. The duo made up half of Brandywine's quartet who qualified for the United States Collegiate Athletic Association Championships in Virginia Beach, Va.

Brandywine is back in action Saturday at the Lebanon Valley Dutchmen Invitational.