PSUD Runners open season at Doug Watt Invitational at Edinboro University

Photo: Freshman Juliann Boddorf

Penn State DuBois Runners Rise to Challenge

This past weekend, the Penn State DuBois Cross Country team competed in their first Division II competition known to school history.  The men and women traveled to Edinboro University to compete in the first annual Doug Watts Invitational.  Doug Watts is a renowned running coach for Edinboro, who recently retired last year after 44 years of coaching.  Joining the Nittany Lions for this special event included schools such Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Clarion University, Thiel College, Oberlin College, Bethany College, and Ashland University.  Representing Penn State DuBois were Matthew Burke, Micah Shaffer, Juliann Boddorf, Tamera Anthony, and Heidi Rodgers.  "All of our runners set very strong benchmarks to start the season," said the head coach for Penn State DuBois, Kyle Gordon.  "Micah Shaffer beat his best time by ten minutes and the others did the same by five or six minutes.  It is exciting for an athlete to see their improvement.  The opportunity to run with this caliber of competition helped them shatter a lot of barriers this weekend.  They've mentally given themselves permission to go the distance and that was the goal of coming up here." Delainey Phelps (sophomore) won the Women's 5k race with a time of 17:37 and Brian Baum (senior) won the Men's 8k with a time of 25:32.  The winning teams were Oberlin College and Ashland University for the Women's and Men's races respectively.  Penn State DuBois runners will compete again this Saturday at the Penn State Greater Allegheny Invitational.