2017 Men's Cross Country Roster
Biography
1-Time All-PSAC Runner
2015 – 4th (SU #1)
1-Time All-Region Runner
2015 – 5th (SU #2)
PRs:
8K: 25:03 [Paul Short ‘15] 10K: 30:38 [Regionals (LHU) ‘15]
2015 Cross Country: Earned All-PSAC and USTFCCCA All-Region honors as an integral scoring runner for the Raiders…placed fourth at the PSAC Championships as SU’s No. 1 runner…placed fifth at the Atlantic Region Championships as SU’s No. 2 runner…placed 52nd at the NCAA Championships as SU’s No. 3 runner…served as one of the team’s Top 3 runners in his last five races of the season…competed seven times overall…finished fourth in the Brown race at the Paul Short Invitational as SU’s No. 2 runner…posted a Top 15 finish in all six races leading into the national championships…named a USTFCCCA All-Academic honoree following the season.
2014 Cross Country: Competed in first six races of the season in debut campaign with the Raiders, including the PSAC Championships…placed 30th at the PSAC Championships as team’s No. 8 runner…posted Top 10 finishes at Mack Cooper Invitational (Slippery Rock) and ECAC Championships (Mansfield)…finished as team’s No. 2 runner at Mack Cooper Invitational, placing fourth overall…impressed with a 42nd-place finish in the Open race at the Paul Short Invitational.
Track & Field:
PSAC Competition:
6-Time PSAC Placewinner
2015 Indoor – 3K (7th), 5K (6th)
2015 Outdoor – 10K (4th)
2016 Indoor – 3K (8th)
2016 Outdoor – 5K (5th), 10K (4th)
2016 Outdoors: Notched a pair of scoring performances at his second PSAC Outdoor Championships…placed fourth in the 10K and fifth in the 5K at the conference meet…ran a 5K season PR at the PSAC Championships…achieved an impressive 10K outdoor best with a NCAA provisional qualifier at the Bison Outdoor Classic.
2016 Indoors: Placed eighth in the 3K at his second PSAC Indoor Championships…narrowly missed a second place-winning performance by finishing ninth in the 5K at the PSAC Indoor Championships…set 3K season best and indoor PR at Hemery Valentine Invitational (Boston) and 5K season best at National Invitational (Penn State)…ran the mile and a 1K at the Gulden Invitational (Bucknell).
2015 Outdoors: Notched a fourth-place finish in the 10K at the PSAC Outdoor Championships to cap off an impressive freshman campaign…notched PR at conference meet…narrowly missed a second place-winning performance by finishing ninth in the 5K at the PSAC Outdoor Championships…ran outdoor 5K best at Bison Outdoor Classic…competed in the 3K at the Paul Kaiser Classic.
2015 Indoors: Made an immediate impact in distance events, placing sixth in the 5K and seventh in the 3K at the PSAC Indoor Championships…ran personal bests in both events at the conference championships…also competed in 800 meters and mile during the indoor season.
Quakertown Community High School: Totaled 11 varsity letters with the Panthers under a group of coaches that included Ryan Stetler, former SU national qualifier Sean Stetler, and Jim Parsons…earned All-Suburban One League First Team honors for cross country and All-Suburban One League Second Team stripes for outdoor track & field…recorded a 5K cross country personal best of 15:47 and an outdoor 3,200-meter best of 9:24…graduated among the Top 7 percent of his class with a 3.95 un-weighted grade-point average.
About Balla: Full name is Alexander Christopher Balla…is the son of Zoltan and Gabriella Balla…majoring in marketing…has a sister, Kristina.
