Cross Country Places Men’s and Women’s Teams in Top Six at Big Ten Championships

MADISON, Wis. – Both of Penn State’s cross country teams posted their highest team finishes at the Big Ten Championships since the 2019 season with the women’s group coming in fourth place overall (136 points) and the men’s squad placing sixth (166 points) on Friday afternoon in Wisconsin.
 
“Very proud of both programs and how they competed today,” said Head Coach John Gondak. “To come away with fourth and sixth-place finishes shows the work the student-athletes are putting in to keep the program moving forward.
 
This core group of women placed 10^th two years ago, sixth last year, and now fourth—and most all of them will return next year. The men’s sixth-place finish is our best since 2019 and with how young the group is, shows the bright future ahead for them.
 
Maddie, Florence and Kileigh ran amazing races and helped the women’s team to a 4th place finish. The All-Big Ten honors for these three reflect very well on the hard work they’ve put in to get themselves, and the team, to this position.”
 
The Nittany Lions’ women’s team, led by First Team All-Big Ten honoree Maddie Ullom (6^th place) and Second Team All-Big Ten runners Florence Caron (11^th place) and Kileigh Kane (13^th place), consistently had members of its team in the lead pack all race long as the group pushed Penn State to its fourth-overall result. Ullom’s First Team finish marks the first First Team All-Big Ten honor for the Nittany Lion women since Jillian Hunsberger in 2017. Furthermore, the three All-Big Ten individual awards for the Nittany Lion women mark the largest total of individual All-Conference honors the women’s team has earned since it collected three-such plaudits in 2016.
 
The men’s team was once again led by redshirt senior Evan Dorenkamp, who came in 17^th place. True freshman Brian DiCola performed well in his first Big Ten Championship race, placing 23^rd-overall as Penn State’s second finisher.
 
WOMEN’S 6K CHAMPIONSHIP RACE
 
Ullom led the Penn State women through the line in Wisconsin, her second time in a row at the top of Penn State’s women’s team. The senior placed sixth overall and earned Penn State’s first of three All-Big Ten honors for Penn State this season. Caron placed 11^th and Kane came in 13^th, both collecting Second Team All-Big Ten recognition. Sophomore Charlotte Costich placed inside Penn State’s top five…