Penn College Teams Finish Strong in National Competition

Pennsylvania College of Technology teams fared well over the weekend, with a fourth-place finish by the men's cross-country squad and top-four finish by the men's soccer team in United States Collegiate Athletic Association national championships.

FLASHBACK Cross-CountryNo Penn College men's cross-country runner ever had the success as a freshman that Jake Shedden has, and it continued Friday in the USCAA National Championships at New Hampshire Technical Institute in Concord, N.H. Shedden finished second among 122 runners in 25:24 over an 8K course while leading the Wildcats to a fourth-place team finish and 53-13 overall season record. Shedden's finish earned him a spot on the USCAA All-American Team.

Also for the Penn College men, sophomore Travis Cain (Bloomsburg) was 27th in 27:55, junior Seth Beckman (Linden) was 31st in 28:08, junior Corvin Oberholtzer (Wellsboro) was 34th in 28:21, sophomore Brandon Knapp (Shenandoah) was 51st in 29:25, senior Michael Fischer (Ringwood, N.J.) was 52nd in 29:26, freshman Edward Knyff (Ocean's Gate, N.J.) was 55th in 29:37, sophomore Daniel Gwynn (Southampton) was 61st in 30:00, freshman Cody Huffman (Littlestown) was 79th in 31:29 and freshman William Klaus (Middleburg) was 85th in 31:52.

Teamwise, Spaulding (Ky.) University was first with 22 points; Dine (N.M.) College second with 20; Paul Smith's (N.Y.) third with 93; Penn College fourth with 134; SUNY-ESF (N.Y.) fifth with 138; Southern Virginia University sixth with 168; and New Hampshire Technical Institute seventh with 217; followed by Washington Adventist (Md.) University, 241; Penn State Scranton, 277; Unity (Maine) College, 280; Navajo (N.M.) College, 321; Lindenwood University-Belleville (Ill.), 360; and Nassau (N.H.) Community College, 394.

For the Penn College women, senior Tamara Pavlov (Lewisburg) placed eighth out of 86 runners with a time of 25:36 in the 6K race and freshman Shannon Abercrombie (Roaring Branch) was 25th in 27:19.

"I'm really proud of the team. "¦ After losing four of the top seven men from last season, my expectations weren't as high, but they exceeded everything I would have wanted. They keep getting better every year," coach Mike Paulhamus said, noting that the squad loses only Pavlov to graduation.

"We had an excellent season and I've got a big smile on my face," added Paulhamus, whose men's teams in 11 seasons have a 312-154-2 record.

Men's Soccer There is a reason why Nick Grasso (New Columbia) and Daniel Shaffer (Shermans Dale) are senior captains on the Penn College team: they provide leadership. And that was never more evident than Friday.

Playing in the team's first-round match of the USCAA national championships at Vermont Technical College in Burlington, Vt., Grasso scored the game-winning goal in a penalty-kick shootout that lifted the fourth-seeded Wildcats past No. 5-seeded defending champ Concordia (Ala.) College, 4-3. On the defensive end, Shaffer had six saves in goal.

Penn College controlled the game, outshooting the defending national champs 16-2 during regulation time. After a scoreless first half, Penn College (16-3) broke through in the 62nd minute as junior captain William DeAngelo (Dallas) got a deflection from the keeper and made quick work of it. Concordia answered in the 78th minute to force overtime.

After two scoreless overtime periods, it all came down to penalty kicks. The teams were tied 3-3 after each had missed one. Freshman Patrick Masango (Harrisburg), senior Seth Rearick (Watsontown) and junior Patrick Kehoe (Oley) each scored penalty kicks in the shootout before Grasso put the ball into the back of the net as his counterpart on Concordia missed.

In Saturday's semifinals, facing what coach Enrique Castillo called "the best team I've seen since I've been coaching," the Wildcats fell 2-0, giving unbeaten top seed Maine FortKent one of its toughest matches of the season.

"We played our best, we did a good job, but they were just better, more talented," Castillo continued, as his team finished 16-4. Penn College was limited to three shots on goal, but also held its opponent to seven shots on goal. Maine Fort Kent's goals were scored at the 68:02- and 73:28-minute marks.

Reflecting on the season, Castillo said, "It was a big step in the right direction of where we want to be. We accomplished one of our goals, which was to win the conference. I saw how our freshmen grew up and I think we'll have a good team for the next couple of years. We have to get better at moving the ball and we need more exposure against teams like Maine FortKent to make us better."

Six Penn College men William DeAngelo (Dallas), Isaac Hostetter (Lebanon), Clayton Bretz (New Bloomfield), Chris Rougeot (Torrington, Conn.), Ben Shade (Fleetwood) and Shaffer were named USCAA Academic First Team All-Americans.

Bowling Penn College opened its Eastern Pennsylvania College Conference season with wins by both the men and women. The No. 1 men's team outdid Northampton Community College, 2,674-2,556, and the women's No. 1 team beat Lehigh Carbon Community College, 1,809-1,727. Merle Burkhart Jr. (Lancaster), topped the Wildcat men with a 728 series and Owen Darby (Eason) had a high single game of 268. Joselyn Remphrey (Middleburg) led the Penn College women with a high 670 series and Rebecca Rudy (Lancaster) with a high 247 game.

Women's VolleyballJunior Lyndsey Smith (Mechanicsburg) and freshman Samantha Davis (North Apollo) were named PSUAC Second Team All-Conference and sophomore Tara Powell (Burgettstown) earned Honorable Mention honors. The team is voted on by coaches. Smith, a setter, led the team in assists (517) and service aces (58). Davis, an outside hitter, led the team in kills (150) and blocks (90). She also notched 30 service aces and 44 digs. Powell had 112 kills, 157 digs and 28 service aces.

ON THE HORIZONPenn College's men's and women's basketball teams open their seasons Thursday, hosting Central Penn College at Bardo Gymnasium. The women play at 6 p.m. and the men at 8.

Key offensive returnees from last year's men's team that finished 14-14 overall and 12-6 in all Penn State University Athletic Conference games, placing second in the conference, are junior Leroy Joiner (Williamsport), who scored 527 points (19.5-per-game average) and senior Greg Solyak (Lititz), who scored 498 points (17.8-per-game average). Veteran coach Gene Bruno returns for his 15th season with the men.

For the women, leading scorer Kierstin Steer (sophomore/South Williamsport), who scored 301 points (12.5 average), returns. The women, who finished 9-15 overall and were 8-7 in all PSUAC games, were eliminated in the quarterfinals. Matt Wilt steps in as the women's new head coach this season.

SCHEDULE/RESULTS Men's Basketball Thursday, Nov. 11 host Central Penn College at Bardo Gym, 8 p.m. Monday, Nov. 15 host Arcadia College at Bardo Gym, 7 p.m.

Women's Basketball Thursday, Nov. 11 host Central Penn College at Bardo Gym, 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 16 at Lycoming College, 7 p.m.

Cross-Country Men's overall record: 53-13 Final PSUAC record: 16-0 (won PSUAC championship)Friday, Nov. 5 USCAA National Championships at Concord, N.H., men finished fourth in a 14-team field and freshman Jake Shedden (Canton) placed second in 25:24 among 122 runners in an 8K race and was named an All-American.

Men's Soccer Overall record:16-4 PSUAC record: 11-0 (9-0 regular season) Friday-Sunday, Nov. 5-7 vs. Concordia (Ala.) College in USCAA National Championship first round at Vermont Tech, W, 4-3 Saturday, Nov. 6 vs. Maine-Fort Kent in USCAA semifinals at Vermont Tech, L, 2-0

BowlingTuesday, Nov. 2 host EPCC Invitational at Faxon Lanes, Penn College men No. 1 won Blue Division and Penn College women No. 1 won Gold Division. Thursday, Nov. 18 at Lehigh Carbon Community College Invitational, 3 p.m.

(Complete rosters and season schedules are available on the college's Athletics Web site . For more information on the PSUAC, visit on the Web; more about the USCAA also is available online.)

Vol. 9, No. 13