SU, Paul Thistle Three-Peat as Landmark Conference Champions
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Susquehanna University's men's cross country
team placed first out of eight schools at the 2009 Landmark
Conference championships at the United States Soliders' and
Airmen's Home on Oct. 31.
Susquehanna scored 24 team points, beating out runner-up Moravian
College by 52 points.
SU senior and Landmark Outstanding Performer Paul Thistle (Blue Bell, Pa./Wissahickon) finished first individually out of 88 runners on the 8,000-meter course with a time of 26 minutes, 39 seconds. Thistle has won the last and only three Landmark individual cross-country championships.
Teammate and junior Luke Trama (West Chester, Pa./West
Chester East) ran a time of 27:19, good for third overall.
Junior David Haklar (Coopersburg, Pa./Southern
Lehigh) crossed the line in fifth with a time of 27:28,
while junior Mike Harahan (Downingtown, Pa./Downingtown
West) posted a time of 27:40, placing sixth. Classmate
Robert Steffen (New Castle, Del./Caravel Academy)
rounded out SU's top five, recording a ninth-place finish in a time
of 27:57.
Sophomore Ian Quinlan (Eagle View, Pa./Methacton)
captured the conference Newcomer of the Year award with a
10th-place time that matched Steffen's 27:57.
Head Coach Marty Owens earned Coaching Staff of
the Year honors for a third straight time.
All of the Crusaders' top-seven finishers earned all-conference
recognition. Thistle, Trama,
Haklar and Harahan were
first-team honorees, and Steffen,
Quinlan and sophomore Joe Zamadics (West
Chester, Pa./West Chester East) landed on the second team.
Zamadics finished 11th in 28:06.
SU is the first school in conference history to win three Landmark championships in the same sport.
Next Meet: Saturday, Nov. 14, at NCAA Division III Mideast Region championships (Lehigh Goodman campus), 12 p.m.