Point Park’s men’s and women’s cross-country teams are looking forward to their season, with coach Kelly Parsley heading the quest to build up these two unique, strong teams.

“This is our quest to Charlotte 2.0,” Parsley said.

Both the men’s and women’s teams look to defend their KIAC Championship against their top rival, the University of Rio Grande. Each team has their own obstacles they plan to overcome.

Last year, the women’s team won the KIAC Championship title at Rio Grande and placed 31st at the NAIA National Championship in Charlotte, N.C. This year, coach Parsley expects the women’s team to win the conference title once again, despite captain and junior film student Katie Guarnaccia’s time conflicts.

Cinema production entails a substantial time commitment during junior year, affecting Guarnaccia. However, the women’s team gained highly decorated freshmen and transfers in the offseason, including freshman Jenny Murtha and transfer students Anna Shields and Saydi Lappe. Captain Mackenzie Wilson believes this team will do well and regain the title if they can just hold off Rio Grande.

“We are number one in the preseason poll, so hopefully we’ll stay that way.” said Wilson, who has already set a personal record at the Walsh Invitational on Sept. 3.

The men’s team is also looking to defend its KIAC Championship title at Rio Grande University and placed 35th at the National Championship in Charlotte, N.C. Coach Parsley is confident in this year’s team.

“We did lose some in terms of kids not coming back this year,” Parsley said. “It is almost like a rebuilding year, but I keep telling my team this is a special group. I feel that we may struggle a little bit early, but at the end of the year, we will be ready to go. We have some great leadership on the men’s side in Sean Hilverding and Chris Hunt.”

Even though the team is rebuilding, the men’s team also has fresh talent this year. One of them is the fastest incoming freshman Dannys Marrero. He placed 29th at the Walsh Invitational on Sept. 3. Two other notable athletes this season are Xavier Stephens and Skip Hersh, who both placed at the invitational. Captain Chris Hunt believes the team has a chance to finish well in their conference again this year, as long as they can get past Rio Grande.

“Rio Grande will be our biggest competitors as they were last year,” said Chris Hunt, who placed 34th at the Walsh Invitational.  “Last year, we were able to squeeze out a conference championship, but this year it’s going to be a lot more tough. They’ve got a lot of guys coming back. We lost a couple of guys, but we’ve got a good team. We just need to get the training on,”

Both teams have been working hard during the preseason, preparing with various workouts and practices twice a day. With new talent, both teams look forward to regaining their conference title and heading back to nationals.

The men’s and women’s next meet is scheduled for Sept. 17 at Penn State Behrend.