AMCC Men's Cross Country Preseason Poll

2006 MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
PRESEASON COACHES' POLL

FROSTBURG STATE PICKED TO DEFEND AMCC MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY TITLE

Frostburg State University is expected to repeat as Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference men's cross country champions, according to the AMCC preseason coaches’ poll. The Bobcats will be gunning for their sixth straight title; they have won eight of the last nine. Penn State Behrend, last year's runner-up at the conference championship meet and the only other team to win the conference title, was selected to finish second, while Pitt-Greensburg was picked third.

Preseason Runner of the Year honors were awarded to Penn State senior Brad Ruffo (West Middlesex HS/West Middlesex, PA). Ruffo will seek to defend the AMCC individual championship he won in 2005. He also qualified for the NCAA championship meet last season, finishing 63rd.

The AMCC, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary in 2006-07, will hold its conference championship meet on Saturday, October 28 at Lake Erie College in Painesville, OH.

AMCC MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY POLL
Preseason Rankings*
1. Frostburg State (1)
2. Penn State Behrend (2)
3. Pitt-Greensburg (3)

* Number in parentheses is order of conference meet finish in 2005

Preseason Runner of the Year
Brad Ruffo, Penn State Behrend

FROSTBURG STATE UNIVERSITY Head Coach: Randy Lowe
JR Curt Ruble (Parkersburg South HS/Mineral Wells, WV)...Finished second at the conference championship last year after winning the individual title as a freshman...placewinner in four invitationals last season. SR Andy Watson (Damascus HS/Gaithersburg, MD)...Earned all-conference honors with a fifth place finish at last year's conference championship meet.
HILBERT COLLEGE Head Coach: Mick Kuberka
JR Matt Reale (DeSales HS/Geneva, NY)...Finished 51st at the AMCC championship meet in 2005.
LA ROCHE COLLEGE Head Coach: George Guiley
SR D.J. Trischler (Shaler HS/Pittsburgh, PA)...no information available.
LAKE ERIE COLLEGE Head Coach: Bryan Harmon
FR Tyler Spears (Bucyrus HS/Bucyrus, OH)...No information available. SO Matt Moore (Fredricktown HS/Fredrickstown, OH)...Placed 30th at last year's conference championship meet. FR J.W. Smith (Lakeside HS/Ashtabula, OH)...No information available.
MEDAILLE COLLEGE Head Coach: TBA
FR Dominic Tricase (HS/NY)...No information available.
MOUNT ALOYSIUS COLLEGE Head Coach: Marilyn Bearer
David Druckemiller (Indian Valley HS/Burnham, PA)...No information available. JR Brendan Krause (West Branch HS/Morrisdale, PA)...No information available.
PENN STATE ALTOONA Head Coach: Douglas Hoover
SO Jonathan Barthelemy (Half Hollow Hills East HS/North Babylon, NJ)...Finished 41st at the NCAA Mideast Regional championship last season. SR Richard Merritts (Altoona Area HS/Altoona, PA)...Placed 19th at the AMCC championship meet in 2005...improved to a 125th place finish at the NCAA Mideast Regional, from 174th in 2003.
PENN STATE BEHREND Head Coach: Dave Cooper
SR Brad Ruffo (West Middlesex HS/West Middlesex, PA)...2005 AMCC champion and Runner of the Year...NCAA Div. III national qualifier, finishing 63rd. SO Jason Bem (Union City HS/Union City, PA)...All-AMCC first team, finishing 7th at the conference championship last season.
PITT-BRADFORD Head Coach: Travis Faulkner
SR Jon Campbell (Warren County Christian HS/Russell, PA)...Finished 32nd at the AMCC championship in 2005.
PITT-GREENSBURG Head Coach: Joyce Brobeck
SR Zach Kocian (Hempfield HS/Greensburg, PA)...UPG's top runner the past three seasons...placed 8th in the conference championship meet in 2005...five top ten finishes last year. SO Jeremy Eshleman (Chambersburg HS/Chambersburg, PA)...Ran #3 for the Bobcats in 2005...finished 12th at the AMCC championship meet as a freshman.