The rainy, muddy weather didn’t dampen the spirit of sophomore Eddie Penetar and the men’s cross country team.
The boys competed in the National College Athletic Association meet on Saturday, Nov. 15, on a very muddy course in western Waynesburg, Pa.
This was Eddie Penetar’s second appearance in the NCAA Championship where he showed everyone why he was worthy of an invitation back to this years meet.
Penetar led the Cavaliers’ coming in second-place handing in a time of 25:18. He ran against 306 other runners.
Penetar finished eight seconds behind Brian Harvey, who came in first place from Carnegie Mellon.
“Improving on what was a successful freshman year seemed like a very arduous task, but with superior coaching and guidance from my coach and dear friend Tom O’Hora, and a wonderful sense of team camaraderie from John Solewin and Justin Walsh, my goals become attainable,” Penetar said.
This past season, Penetar has really made a mark for the Cavalier cross country team, owning seven top 10 performances and six top- five finishes.
He won the CSAC championship with a time of 26:30 which paved a path for him to the NCAA’s.
With this past weekend’s second place effort Penetar will be headed to Hanover, Ind.where he will be racing on Nov. 22 in the Division III NCAA Championships.
This opportunity will give him the chance to be an All- American.
“He is only a sophomore, getting beat by a senior from Carnegie Mellon, so we have high hopes for him to take home the championship next year,” Tom O’Hora said.
Senior Justin Walsh and sophomore Kevin Wellman also raced this past weekend.
Walsh finished with a time of 28:02 ending up in 121.
Wellman ended with a time of 30:42 and came in 238. Distance training requires great discipline.
Carnegie Mellon earned the race’s top prize. Allegheny and Dickinson College came in second and third.
“This discipline was instilled in me from Coach O’Hora,” cross country runner Eddie Penetar said.
“Everyone ran a very good race and was in contention the whole way. All we do is ask the runners to give what you got, and they did that this past weekend,” O’Hora said.
