Led by Ely Personius (Buffalo, N.Y./Amherst Central) and Luke Malena's (Medina, Ohio/Cloverleaf) second team All-PSAC performances, the Gannon Golden Knight men's cross country program notched a program-best fifth place out of a 15-team field at the 2024 PSAC Men's Cross Country Championships Saturday morning. Kutztown University hosted the event at the North Campus Farm Loop Cross Country Course with 150 runners covering the 8K course.

Shippensburg was crowned team champion after posting a 28-point performance. East Stroudsburg totaled 83 points to finish second and outpaced IUP (104 points), which finished third. Slippery Rock (146 points) finished fourth, while the Golden Knights (161 points) finished fifth.

*Gannon also finished fifth out of 12 teams during the 2020 campaign, where the race was ran during the spring of 2021, but not all PSAC members participated due to Covid.

Shippensburg 's Garrett Quinan repeated as the individual champion, covering the 8K Upper Campus Cross Country Course with a time of 25:34. Dan Gibney of IUP, finished second at 25:36.5, while California's Noah Bernarding came in third at 25.37.1.

The Golden Knights registered two All-PSAC performers in Ely Personius (Buffalo, N.Y./Amherst Central) and Luke Malena (Medina, Ohio/Cloverleaf), marking the third time Gannon has had multiple runners earn All-PSAC honors. Joseph Westrick and Ryan Garich earned All- PSAC accolades in 2019, while Caleb Mandel (Harborcreek, Pa./Harbor Creek) and Personius collected honors back in 2020.

Personius collected his second All-PSAC honor and earned his highest finish at the Championships after leading the Gannon squad with a time of 26:03.2 to finish 16th out of the 150-field.
Malena collected his first All-PSAC accolade after finishing 28th with a time of 26:34.0, improving 11 spots up from his 39th -place mark at the 2023 PSAC Championships.

Gannon also had three individuals finish in the top 50 of the race. Robert Tang (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mount Lebanon) finished 40th with a time of 26:59.1, while freshman Bradyn Rusch (Valley View, Ohio/Cuyahoga Heights) finished 43rd with a time of 27:02.2. Adam Kanterman (Milford, Pa./Delaware Valley) rounded out the Gannon top 50 effort with a time of 27:03.8 to place 44th.

The Golden Knights next compete in the 2024 NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional hosted by Lock Haven on Saturday, November 9.
 
 
Final Team Scores (15 Teams)

1. Shippensburg – 28 points
2. East Stroudsburg – 83 points
3. IUP – 104 points
4. Slippery Rock - 149 points
5. GANNON – 161 points
6. California (Pa.) – 166 points
7. Kutztown – 171 points
8. Lock Haven – 193 points
9. West Chester – 195 points
10. Bloomsburg – 246 points
11. Pitt. -Johnstown – 318 points
12. Seton Hill – 343 points
13. Mansfield – 370 points
14. Edinboro – 389 points
15.  Shepherd – 470 points

 
Individual Leaders (150 Runners)

1. Garrett Quinan – Shippensburg -25:34.8
2. Dan Gibney - Indiana (Pa.) - 25:36.5
3. Noah Bernarding - California (Pa.)- 25:37.1
4. Tommy Crum – Shippensburg - 25:37.3
5. Troy Hart - Slippery Rock - 25:41.3

Gannon Runners
16. Ely Personius (Buffalo, N.Y./Amherst Central) – 26:03.2
28. Luke Malena (Medina, Ohio/Cloverleaf) – 26:34. 0
40. Robert Tang (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mount Lebanon) – 26:59.1
43. Bradyn Rusch (Valley View, Ohio/Cuyahoga Heights) – 27:02.2
44. Adam Kanterman (Milford, Pa./Delaware Valley) – 27:03.8
79. Ethan Boots (Poland, Ohio/Boardman) – 27:57. 2
90. Lauge Rasmussen (Virum, Denmark/Oregard Gynbasium) – 28.12.7
100. Alex Mitterer (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) – 28:37.8
118. Jonathan Hansford (Knox, Pa./Keystone) – 29:37.0
127. Luke Andraso (Erie, Pa./Northwest Pa. Collegiate Academy / Erie) – 30.24.4
128. Daniel Van der Westhuizen (Roodepoort, South Africa/King Edward the Seventh) – 30:27.9
137. Gavyn Hansotte (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) – 31:34.4