Salisbury men place second, women 13th at Paul Short Invitational

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Salisbury University cross country teams got a look at a course they will see again this year, competing in the Paul Short Invitational on Friday afternoon. The men's team finished second, out of 29 teams, while the women were one of 32 teams to compete and took a 13th-place finish.

The same course the Sea Gulls ran on Friday will be used to host the NCAA Mideast Regional on Nov. 14.

"We had a good opportunity to preview the regional course, which will give us some experience for the NCAA Regional Championship," Salisbury coach Jim Jones said following the meet.

The men's team finished with 122 points, just six points shy of meet winner and fellow Capital Athletic Conference competitor, University of Mary Washington. The Sea Gull men were led by junior Chris Barnard (Olney, Md.), who finished in 10th-place with a time of 26:22, and senior Travis Boccher (Columbia, Md.), who placed 13th with a time of 26:30. Salisbury freshman Steve Berstler (Chester, N.J.) finished in 23rd with a time of 26:45 while senior Carl Blickle (Woolrich Township, N.J.) took 29th with a time of 26:51 and junior Ryan Shifler (Boonsboro, Md.) rounded out the Sea Gull scorers with a time of 27:16, finishing in 47th.

Shawn Andrea, from Philadelphia University, was the top individual male finisher, completing the course in 25:39.

The SU women scored 339 points to place 13th. The top women's team in the field was the University of Ottawa, which scored 141 points. The Sea Gulls were led by junior Kristin Stromberg (Hampstead, Md.), who finished 33rd with a time of 24:01. Jen Musemeci (Beachwood, N.J.) placed 45th, finishing with a time of 24:20. Sophomore Becca Stinner (Darnestown, Md.) crossed the finish line 16 seconds behind Musemeci and placed 65th, while sophomore Emily Powell (Mt. Airy, Md.) was 97th with a time of 25:20 and sophomore Anna Steinman (Piscataway, N.J.) took 100th with a time of 25:21.

The Sea Gulls will be back in action on Oct. 17, when they travel to Gettysburg, Pa., for the Gettysburg Invitational.