University Park, Pa. — Following individual victories at the Dolan Duals at Lock Haven last Friday, juniors Caitlin Lane (Greenwich, N.Y.) and Vince McNally (Paoli, Pa.) have been named Big Ten Runners of the Week, announced by conference offices on Tuesday. The award was the third citation for Lane, while McNally received conference recognition for the first occasion.
Lane – a member of the Nittany Lions’ Big Ten Champion cross country squad a year ago – led an outstanding effort from the No. 24 Nittany Lion women’s team, which record a 26-second spread between first and seventh finishers. In fact, the Lions claimed each of the top seven finishing positions to sweep Lock Haven, 15-50. Individually, Lane tore through the competition earning a 10-second victory over the rest of the field with a finishing time of 14:02 for the 4,000-meter course. Lane’s win also marks her third-consecutive victory at the Lock Haven competition.
McNally, who is already a two-time NCAA qualifier in cross country, topped the field, thanks to a finishing time of 18:09, just over three seconds ahead of the second-place finisher. The win is also McNally’s first top finish as a collegiate in cross country. McNally paced a stellar performance from the Penn State men, in which the Lions used a strong last 1,000-meters to upend Lock Haven, which is ranked in the top 15 nationally in Division II, 23-35.
Both Nittany Lion squads will be back on the course this weekend, as they are set to play host to the annual Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational, set for Saturday, September 11, at the Blue and White Golf Courses. College race times are set for 10 a.m., for the women’s 6000-meter competition, and 10:45 a.m., for the men’s 5.2-mile run.