Women's cross country jumps five spots to No. 18 in USTFCCCA rankings

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State women's cross country team moved up five spots to No. 18 in the latest NCAA Division I Cross Country National Coaches Poll, as announced Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).No team moved up farther than Penn State, jumping up five spots to No. 18.It’s the highest rank for Penn State since a No. 13 mark in week three of the 2013 season.“It is exciting to see our women’s team move into the top-20 in the USTFCCCA rankings while the men continue to receive votes,” said head coach John Gondak.”The goal is for both teams to continue to rise in the rankings and our next three competitions on the schedule will provide us a great opportunity to achieve that goal.”Last week, Penn State defended their home course as the Nittany Lions won their fourth-consecutive Harry Groves Spiked Shoe Invitational dating back to 2012. The women, led by a first-place finish by USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week Tori Gerlach, tallied score of 21 claiming victories over then-No. 17 Syracuse (34), and then-No. 11 West Virginia (89).At the regional level, the women’s cross country teams moved up one spot to No. 2 in the Mid-Atlantic region, while the men remained No. 3 in the Mid-Atlantic Region and received seven votes in the national polls.The Nittany Lions do not compete again until Oct. 3, when they travel to Louisville, Kentucky, for the Greater Louisville Classic. The Greater Louisville Classic will be the first meet that will count towards NCAA championship points, and also serve as a beneficial course preview for the NCAA championships hosted by Louisville Nov. 21.