Bethlehem, Pa. (Oct. 7, 2010) – The past weekend, both cross country teams competed at the Paul Short Invite hosted by Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa. Out of 40 male cross country teams, the Pioneers men's team finished tied for 21st out of 40 teams, led by senior Vince Giambanco (Muttontown, N.Y.). On the female side, the Pioneer women finished 22nd out 36 teams. The team was led by sophomore Caitlin Smith (Levittown, N.Y.).

The 21^st place finish for the men was led by the 75^th place finish of Giambanco. Giambanco led a Pioneer squad that averaged a finish time of 27:03 on the 8k course. The team also saw 8k personal records set by sophomore Thomas Speicher (Levittown, N.Y.) and freshman Joseph Lasher (Seaford, N.Y.). Speicher finished the course at a time of 26:57, pacing at 5:26. Lasher paced a second behind at 5:27, finishing with an overall time of 27:00. The group tied for 21^st with Niagara, who averaged a time of 27:01, however, compiled the same points as the Pioneers with finishes. 

Smith headed the 22^nd place finish for the women with a 85^th personal finish at a time of 25:03 on the 6k course. The female team totaled a time of 2:07:49, averaging 25:34 a finish. The women also had two personal records set, with senior Erin Lusenskas (East Atlantic Beach, N.Y.) and sophomore Katherine Wilkens (Woodbury, N.Y.) setting their best times for a 6k course. Lusenskas averaged a pace of 6:51 to finish at a total time of 25:31. Wilkens finished at a time of 26:31, with a pace of 7:08 to set her personal record. 

The cross country squad will be represented at two different meets this weekend, as part of the team will travel to Center Valley, Pa. to participate in the DeSales Invite. The other part of the team will be flying down to Orlando, Fla. to take part in the Disney Classic. Both events are scheduled for Saturday Oct. 9.