Interview with Coach Leak Previewing the Championships
Championship Central
BLOOMSBURG, Pa.- The West Chester University men's cross country team returns to the course this weekend for the 2023 edition of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Cross Country Championships on the Upper Campus Cross Country Course on the campus of Bloomsburg University.  
 
The women's race will start the day at 10 a.m., followed by the men's race at approximately 11 a.m. Due to the anticipated traffic on Saturday morning, fans are asked to park in the parking lot by the Jessica Kozloff Apartments upon arrival. Fans who are unable to make the trip to Bloomsburg on Saturday can view live results of the races here and a live stream here. As it has been in years prior, the top 15 runners on Saturday will be awarded First Team All-Conference status, while the next 15 will earn Second Team All-Conference recognition.

A season ago, West Chester finished 11th at the PSAC Championships behind a pair of All-Conference finishes by Amir Cubbage and one of the Golden Rams two 2023 captains, Philip Smith (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley).

In the preseason coaches poll, released at the end of August, head coach Colin Leak and West Chester were picked by their peers to finish 11th again in 2023.

The Golden Rams head to the PSAC Championships after a strong 2023 regular season, which saw the team finish in the top six in three of four races, including a second-place finish at the NJIT Highlander Challenge to start the month of October. At NJIT, Nicholas Falsone (Wallingford, Pa./Strath Haven) did what he has done for much of the 2023 season, leading the Golden Rams with a fourth-place finish in 25:47.75, while freshman Josh Miller (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) was close behind in fifth with a time of 25:53.98. Jason Vogt (Southampton, Pa./William Tennent) was the third and final Golden Ram in the top 10 earlier this month, while Luke Pikulski (Scranton, Pa./Scranton) clocked a time of 27:06.60, finishing 26th overall.

Jason Shumaker (Eaglesville, Pa./Methacton) and the second of the Golden Rams two 2023 captains, Sean Fisher (North Wales, Pa./North Penn), rounded out a strong group of WCU runners in the top 50, finishing in 31st and 44th, with times of 27:21.29 and 27:40.22, respectively.

Evan Eshleman (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield) and William Zane (Springfield, Pa./Springfield-DELCO) have also enjoyed strong fall seasons and will look to see this continue at the Conference Championships this weekend.

It also bears noting that Eshleman, Fisher, and Smith have all seen this course before, competing at the Bloomsburg Invitational in 2021. West Chester finished third as a team, led by a seventh-place finish from Smith and a 12th-place finish by Eshleman on a strong day for the Golden Rams.  

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