LANCASTER, Pa. – For the second straight week, multiple Penn State Harrisburg men's cross country runners earned top ten finishes in the squad's outing. Last week, it occurred at the school's home meet. On Saturday, Oct. 12, the Lions accomplished the feat at Lancaster Bible's Charger Invitational. Freshman Nicholas Sturm (Hamburg, Pa. / Hamburg) and sophomores Tyler Fry (Harrisburg, Pa. / Central Dauphin East), Edgar Makimoto (Middleburg, Pa. / Selinsgrove Area) and Kyle Klaboe (Harrisburg, Pa. / Central Dauphin East) all turned in top ten performances, good enough to earn the Blue & White a second-place team finish. Former North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) rival Penn State Abington took home the team trophy while Abington runner Alex Kane won the individual title.
Kane finished the 8k race in 28:23 while Sturm earned his second-consecutive runner up finish thanks to his time of 29:29. Fry added to the Lions' strong day by coming home with a fifth a place finish with a time of 30:29. Makimoto and Klaboe crossed the line back-to-back in ninth and tenth places, respectively. Makimoto finished the race with a time of 30:51 while Klaboe completed the course in 31:13.
Penn State Harrisburg saw three more of its men finish inside the top 20. Sophomore Jordan Fuhrman (Columbia, Pa. / Hempfield) crossed the line in the 16th position while sophomore Adam Campbell (Columbia, Pa. / Hempfield) and junior Tom Chaney (Lancaster, Pa. / Lampeter-Strasburg) came home back-to-back in the 18th and 19th spots, respectively. Freshman Korey Christian (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y. / Walter Panas) and sophomore Lucas Boerman (Mohnton, Pa. / Twin Valley) just missed top 20 finishes of their own, coming home in the 21st and 22nd positions, finishing the course within eight seconds of each other. Freshman James Keith (Philadelphia, Pa. / Imhotep) rounded out the Lion runners with a time of 37:38, good enough for 28th place.
As strong as the Blue & White's day was, Penn State Abington's was just a tad better. In addition to Kane earning the individual crown, Abington had runners finish, third, fourth, sixth and 11th. That effort was enough to edge Penn State Harrisburg in the final results.
Coming off two strong outings in a row, the Lions will look to parlay their recent success into more solid finishes as the 2013 campaign winds down. Penn State Harrisburg will next be in action on Saturday, Oct. 19 in the team's penultimate meet of the season at the Gettysburg Invitational.