By: Frank Maira, Assistant Director of Athletics/Sports Information Director

LEMONT FURNACE, Pa. – The Penn State Mont Alto cross country program finally had the chance to open its 2020-21 season here on Thursday with the team competing against Penn State Fayette. Both the men's and women's teams competed on the Fayette campus running on a 5K course.

The women's races got underway right at 1 p.m. with Mont Alto's Macy Carper (Sunbury, Pa. / Shikellamy) pacing the field for the majority of the race to win her first collegiate invitational with a time of 23:23. She led the field of seven total runners with Mont Alto's Emily Boozel (Huntingdon, Pa. / Mount Union Area) finishing fourth overall with a time of 27:49.

Penn State Fayette's Mitchell Minda won the men's 5K race with a recorded time of 19:54, but freshman Gavin Miller (Waynesboro, Pa. / Waynesboro Area) made his debut for PSUMA and had the top performance of the team finishing third at 20:38. Also running for the Nittany Lions were Joel Minicozzi (Hedgesville, W.Va. / Hedgesville) and Jacob Geesaman (Waynesboro, Pa. / Waynesboro Area) who rounded out the finishers with times of 24:47 and 26:06.

Penn State Mont Alto returns to action on Saturday, April 10 when it hosts its home invitational at nearby Norlo Park. The races will once again be 5K events beginning with the women's race at 11 a.m.