PITTSBURGH, Penn. – It was a day of surprises at the NCAA DII Cross Country Championships at Schenley Park. On a rolling, mud-filled course the Western Men's Cross Country team out-ran their ranking en route to a third-place team finish. Facing adversity, the Western Women finished on the podium in fourth-place. 
 
Prior to the this season, the last time both Mountaineer squads landed on the podium was 2011. 
 
While the weather and course conditions were predictable given the long term forecast, the results for Western were anything but. 
 
Entering the meet ranked fifth, the Mountaineer men knew they would have to elevate their performance to land on the podium. After a recalled start, the Mountaineer men capitalized on the course conditions – firmly establishing themselves among the race leaders. 
 
On the gutsy running of Taylor Stack, Charlie Sweeney, and Ross Husch the Mountaineers lead the team scores for half of the 10 kilometer race. It was not until the 4.8 kilometer split that eventually national champion Grand Valley State University finally overcame the young Mountaineer squad. 
 
But while the field closed around them, Western stayed resilient to earn a third place finish with 117 points. GVSU won the meet with 89 points while Colorado School of Mines finished second with 99 points. 
 
In a startling display, Taylor Stack stamped his name in the registry of Western legends with a fifth-place finish in only his second NCAA Cross Country Championship. Stack hit the line in 32:18.0, pacing a trio of Mountaineer All-Americans. 
 
Not far behind, freshman Charlie Sweeney turned in a massive performance to finish 13^thoverall in his first ever NCAA Championship. Sweeney's 32:42.8 clocking brought him to within one-tenth of a second of Adam States six-time national champion Sydney Gidabuday. 
 
Having established position early, Ross Husch hung on to finish 34^thin 33:21.2 to earn All-American honors for the second year in a row. 
 
But the Mountaineers were not done there as Nicholas Turco and Albert Hesse harnessed remarkable efforts in their first NCAA Championship appearances to finish 42^ndand 46^threspectively. Both were mere places away from All-American status. 
 
Kyle Lewis and Ricky Esqueda closed the deal for Western finishing 68^thand 80^thoverall. 
 
Following the men's race it was time for the Western women. 
 
Western entered the meet ranked no. 2 behind Adams State, but lady luck and the Lakers of Grand Valley State had other plans for both squads. With two of Western's finest contracting bronchitis in the days leading into the championship, the Mountaineers would have to overcome significant adversity on race day outside of the course conditions. 
 
After a recalled start, the Mountaineer women found themselves in a mixed position with several athletes upfront and several left to gain serious ground. 
 
Coming off illness, Alicja Konieczek positioned herself among the race leaders but would not be able to grind past her fourth-place finish in 22:30.4. While short of her expectation, it was her highest finish ever at the NCAA Cross Country Championships. 
 
Closing the gap in the final kilometer, Kennedy Rufener would be the next Mountaineer to cross the line in 17^thplace with a 23:11.9 effort to land her first cross country All-American honor. Mere seconds behind, Aneta Konieczek came to the line in 23:13.5 for 19^thplace. 
 
With three of her teammates in the top 20, Bailey Sharon showed remarkable fortitude in her first ever NCAA Cross Country Championship, battling down the stretch to earn All-American honors in 34^thplace 23:24. In the final kilometer alone, the middle distance specialist gained nine places to nab her All-American status. 
 
In the midst of her illness, Sophie Seward climbed all the way from 143^rdto 43^rdto close the scoring for Western. 
 
Cassidy Ahrens and Malindi Congour finished 72^ndand 73^rdto round out the Western women. 
 
Western finished fourth with 98 points, a mere eight points behind Adams State in third. The University of Mary finished second with 83 points while GVSU ran away with the title in their 41 point effort.