MANSFIELD, Pa.- The Mansfield Mountaineers men's cross country team looks to take a leap in the PSAC standings and make a statement. They begin their season as they are set to host the short course open meet at the Lambs Creek Cross Country Course on Thursday Aug. 31.
 
The race will begin at 6:00. Updates, photos and results can be found on X and Instagram (@MUmounties), while a recap will be on gomounties.com following the conclusion of the event.
 
23rd year head coach Mike Rohl, has high expectations for his upperclassman group. "They're not young anymore. We can't talk about their inexperience or how youthful they are. These are veteran young men who have done the work and it's shown in the preseason." Rohl said. "It's a testament to their discipline and development. They know what they're doing, and they know what they're about."
 
Lineup
 
David Wootten is slated to make a claim as the Mounties top runner. He finished 54^th in the PSAC Championship last season with a time of 27:15.2. Wootten was a qualifier for the indoor track and field PSAC championships in the 3K. Wootten had two top-five finishes last season.
 
Seth Neal will also look to be in the top group, after a strong summer and a 50^th place finish (27:07.7) in last season's PSAC Championship. Neal was a track and field qualifier in the 800-meter dash this past season.
 
Derek Simpson had a breakthrough freshman year last season. Finishing as a steady top runner for the Mounties. Simpson's effort culminated into a 13^th place finish in the 3K steeplechase in the PSAC Outdoor championships.
 
 Owen Showers and Isaac Showers return for the Mountianeers for their junior seasons. O. Showers set PR's in the 6K, 8K and 9.5K races last season. I. Showers returns after missing last cross country season due to injury.
 
The Mounties add three newcomers to the group adding freshman Rylan Ebner, Bobby Repp and Jeremy Hojnowski.
 
The Mounties will honor Simon Richards for senior day before the race.