LOCK HAVEN, Pa.- Following a seventh-place finish at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championships two weeks ago, the West Chester University men's cross country team is preparing to return to the course on Saturday for the NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional Championships hosted by Lock Haven University on its West Branch Cross Country Course at the Stern Athletic Complex.

The day will begin with the women's 6k Championship race at 10:30 a.m., with the men's 10k Championship race to follow at 11:45 p.m. Fans attending the race should be advised that they will be charged $5 per vehicle for parking. For fans not attending the races in person, Lock Haven has a championship central page where live results and live video will be posted and updated on Saturday.  

 West Chester is one of 42 teams invited to participate in the Championship races. In addition to providing the opportunity to earn All-Region accolades, as the top-25 finishers are honored as United States Track and Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Region honorees, the regional meet also affords the opportunity to for teams and runners to qualify for the National Championship meet.

On the individual level, the top two individuals who are not part of a qualifying team automatically advance to the Championship meet, as do all individuals who finish within the top five and are not part of a qualifying team also automatically advance. Individuals who do not finish in one of these two categories will still have the chance to advance to the National Championship, as the committee will also select eight individuals as at-large qualifiers. 

 From a team, perspective, the top three teams on both the men's and women's sides earn Automatic bids to the National Championship, while the remaining may have the chance to be selected as one of 10 at-large teams selected by the NCAA Division II Men's and Women's Cross Country National Committee. 
 
 West Chester enters the Regional Championships coming off a seventh-place finish at the 2023 PSAC Men's Cross Country Championships held at Bloomsburg University just two weeks ago. West Chester's seventh-place finish matches the team's best finish since 2018, when the Golden Rams also finished in seventh behind an Individual Championship performance by Josh Coakley.

West Chester had a pair of All-Conference performers two weeks ago as Jason Vogt (Southampton, Pa./William Tennent) and Josh Miller (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) finished 22nd (27:18.5) and 23rd (27:18.9), respectively to lead the Golden Rams. Senior Philip Smith (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) finished 37th in 27:51.3, followed by Nicholas Falsone (Wallingford, Pa./Strath Haven) in 52nd in 28:16.4. Luke Pikulski (Scranton, Pa./Scranton) in 65th in 28:30.2. Sean Fisher (North Wales, Pa./North Penn) was the final Golden Ram in the top-100, crossing the line in 95th with a time of 29:36.6. At the same time, Jason Schumaker (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley), Matthew Landis (North Wales, Pa./North Penn), and James Hartigan (Nottingham, Pa./Solanco) also turned in strong performances at the Championships two weeks ago.

Evan Eshleman (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield), William Zane (Springfield, Pa./Springfield DELCO), and Von Curry (Glenside, Pa./Abington Friends) have also turned in strong 2023 seasons to this point.

Fans can also visit wcupagoldenrams.com and follow the WCU Athletics social media channels for updated news pertaining to the 2023 NCAA Atlantic Regional Men's Cross Country Championships.