Current Season

Preview, Red Flash Invitational @ St. Francis College

Saturday, September 29, 2001

Immergrun Golf Course in Loretto, Pensylvania.  The event is expected to draw approximately 700 scholastic, collegiate, and open runners, including some of the top high school talent in Pennsylvania and some of the best collegiate runners in the Mid-Atlantic Region.

Participating Schools

PREVIEW COURTESY OF THE ST. FRANCIS UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION DEPT.

The Somerset boys will bring a very deep squad to the meet, but don't boast the
frontrunners that Westmont Hilltop has in sophomore David Mock and junior Steve
Gonzalez, who placed 24th and 17th, respectively, in last years PIAA class AA State
Championship.  Mock and Gonzalez were joined on the podium at last year's state meet by
Blairsville senior Bryan Herdman, who placed 10th at last year's state meet.  Herdman
will also be competing with his Blairsville squad on the 29th.  All three will be
facing one of the top individual runners in the state in Dan Mazzocco, a senior from
Baldwin High School in Pittsburgh who is expected to content for the AAA state title in
November at Hershey.

On the girls side, the ladies of Bishop Guilfoyle High School in Altoona, led by
sophomores Sonja Hinish and Angela Greaser, appear to be the early favorites for the
team title.  The BG ladies are undefeated in dual meets this year after opening their
season with a second place showing behind Coatesville at the Big Valley Invitational.
This will be the first meeting of the season between the BG ladies at the defending
district 6 champions, Central Cambria.  Hinish, the defending district 6 champion who
finished tenth in last year's AA state meet, should contend for the individual title.
But she will be challanged by Forest Hills junior Leanna Nastase, who has been running
impressively so far this season after finishing 33rd at last year's state meet.  She
finished second at the Big Valley Invitational and won the individual title at the
Forest Hills Invitational two weeks ago.
 
 

Twenty-nine high school teams are slated to compete:

Baldwin
Bedford
Bellefonte
Bellwood-Antis
Bishop Guilfoyle
Blairsville
Brookville
Central
Central Cambria
Clearfield
DuBois
Forest Hills
George Mason (VA)
Hollidaysburg
Homer Center
Greater Johnstown
Juniata Valley
Marion Center
Meyersdale
Penn Cambria
Penns Manor
Penns Valley
Philipsburg-Osceola
Richland
Somerset
Tyrone
United
West Branch
Westmont Hilltop

Seven college teams will also compete:
University at Buffalo
Duquesne University
Geneva College
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Niagara University
Robert Morris College
Saint Francis University

The Saint Francis men, ranked 40th in the nation according to the pre-season coaches
poll, are the overwhelming favorites to capture the team title.  They are led by
seniors, Kevin Doyle and Andrew Catton; junior Michael Murray; and freshman Ryan
Sheehan, who was the class AAA state champ at 3200 meters last spring from Baldwin High
School.