The Shippensburg University women's cross country team ventures north to Tioga County this weekend for the third time this season, as the Raiders will compete in the 2022 NCAA Atlantic Region Championships hosted by Mansfield University. The gun for the 6K race is set to go off from the Lamb's Creek Course at 12:45 p.m.
 
Live coverage of the race, a course map, parking details and more information related to the championships is available by clicking on the blue 2022 ATLANTIC REGION CHAMPIONSHIPS HOME PAGE button above to the right.
 
Shippensburg has been largely able to avoid injury in 2022 but has had to navigate through some illness recently, as junior Isabelle Gulgert was unable to run at the conference championships and sophomore Belle Weikert was not at full strength.
 
Gulgert, who has earned United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Atlantic Region honors at each of her previous two regional championship runs by virtue of a Top 25 finish, will be joined at the line by fellow All-Region runner graduate Kyra Gerber (16th last season), Weikert, and four other equally-motivated Raiders. Each team is allowed seven starters and one alternate at the regional championships, down from the lineup of 12 runners at the conference championships.
 
"Our women's team likes to run," head coach Steve Spence said. "They've been working really hard, they've been thriving on the volume, and amazingly we've been so healthy this year as far as injuries. We've had our bouts with illness, but for workouts we've got 17 women on the roster and at almost every workout we have 17 women running and racing as well."
 
Among the projected starters in Saturday's race are three freshmen: Emilea Alleman, Kelsey Hull and Livi Rieck. Veteran Amanda LaVana, in her fourth cross country season as a Raider, is also expected to make her regional championships debut. Sadie Hostler will serve as the alternate and is ready if called upon.
 
"We've all kind of really focused in on our training this week," Rieck said. "Things are getting a little bit more serious, but at the same time it's nothing new, and nothing we haven't done before. We're excited to see what the competition will look like. We've been working for this the whole year."
 
Returning to Lamb's Creek does present the unique aspect of running on a course for the third time in the same season. Having some familiarity with the terrain will certainly not hurt as the Raiders as they prepare for the coldest race of the season.
 
"Each race is different because of conditions and level of competition, and the amount of preparation that we did for the race," Spence said. "The first race (the Ed Winrow Invitational on Oct. 8), the main purpose was to get a look at the course and it was a week after the Paul Short meet, so we had a conservative approach. Of course we went for it at the conference meet, and it's going to be in the 20's (temperature) this time, so it's a little different than last time we raced there, and we'll probably be running on some frozen turf. It's good to get the lay of the land, and we have the routine down, which I think is very helpful for distance runners so they know what to expect."
 
Indeed, the forecast is calling for sunny skies on Saturday in Mansfield, but a high temperature of 31 degrees and winds gusting up to 25 mph.
 
"I'd say it's definitely more of a mental game," Rieck said. "I think we put ourselves through hell and back every day for practice, we train in uncomfortable conditions, so when it comes race time, it's nothing we haven't experienced before or felt before. I think we'll be able to handle it just fine. It's all about mental toughness, and what kind of grit you have."
 
Ultimately, Saturday's race is the culmination of months of hard work and training installed by Spence during the summer months.
 
"We've had a great season so far and a lot of successes, built a lot of mileage and done some workouts that I think will set us up really well for the end of the season and leading into track & field season," Spence said.  
 
All of the training, all of the sweat, and all of the pain – it will become a memory as the runners get ready to toe the line Saturday in what for most teams will be the final 6K of the season. Only three teams will advance from the regional championship to the NCAA Championships held in December in Seattle.
 
"I really think this team has a lot of talent, and we've done about every single thing right so far this season," Rieck said. "We're also looking pretty healthy, so I think we're really excited to see what we can do, and we're going to leave it all out there."
 
Projected Lineup:
Freshman Emilea Alleman (Chambersburg, Pa./Chambersburg Area)
Graduate Kyra Gerber (Dillsburg, Pa./Northern York)
Junior Isabelle Gulgert (Herndon, Va./South Lakes)
Redshirt-freshman Kelsey Hull (Centre Hall, Pa./Penns Valley)
Junior Amanda LaVana (Emmaus, Pa./Emmaus)
Freshman Livi Rieck (Fayetteville, Pa./Chambersburg Area Career Magnet)
Sophomore Belle Weikert (Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty)
Alternate: Sophomore Sadie Hostler (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg Area)
 
Shippensburg at the NCAA Atlantic Region Championships:
(last five championship meets)
2021: 9th, 233 points (16-21-28-76-97)
2020: No championships
2019: 10th, 275 points (21-28-69-78-79)
2018: 3rd, 96 points (6-9-24-25-32)
2017: 2nd, 95 points (10-13-23-26-28)
2016: 1st, 57 points (1-6-13-18-21)