WEST CHESTER, Pa.- As the sun sets on Friday evening, the curtain will rise on a new cross country season as the West Chester men's cross country squad will kick off its 2023 season on Friday night at the Galen Piper Cross Country Challenge hosted by Shippensburg.

At the helm of the Golden Rams is Colin Leak, who is in his second season leading the West Chester cross country program but his first as the Director of Track and Field and Cross Country after being elevated to this post over the summer.

In 2022, West Chester finished 11th at the PSAC Championships behind a pair of All-Conference performances by Amir Cubbage and Philip Smith (Collegeville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley). In the preseason poll released earlier this month, West Chester was predicted to finish 11th in the league once again in 2023.

West Chester returns several key pieces from that 2022 squad in 2023, headlined by All-Conference honoree Smith, who, along with junior Sean Fisher (North Wales, Pa./North Penn), will captain the Golden Rams in 2023. In addition to the return of Smith and Fisher, West Chester also welcomes back Evan Eshleman (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield), Nicholas Falsone (Wallingford, Pa./Strath Haven), Jason Shumaker (Eagleville, Pa./Methacton), Jason Vogt (Southampton, Pa./William Tennent), and William Zane (Springfield, Pa./Springfield-Delco) who will help lead the Golden Rams forward in 2023. In addition to a stellar returning cast, Leak and West Chester also welcome in several talented newcomers, including Luke Pikulski (Scranton, Pa./Scranton), Josh Miller (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville), Matt Landis (North Wales, Pa./North Penn), James Haritgan (Nottingham, Pa./Solanco), and Von Curry (Glenside, Pa./Abington Friends).

West Chester will kick off its 2023 season at 8 p.m. on Friday at the Galen Piper Challenge before returning to action on September 15 at the DII/DIII Challenge hosted by Kutztown. Throughout the year, West Chester will set its sights on the final two races on the calendar: the PSAC Championships on October 21, hosted by Bloomsburg, and the NCAA Regional Championships hosted by Lock Haven two weeks later on November 4.