MEDIA, Pa. - Penn State Harrisburg's men's and women's cross country teams returned to action at the United East Preview Meet hosted by Penn State Brandywine on Friday afternoon, Sept. 12. The women earned a fourth-place finish out of 13 total teams, while the men finished ninth out of 12 competing squads. 


MaKayla Reichel shined in the women's event, earning a fourth-place finish out of 75 total runners in the 6K race. Not only did the rookie secure a a top-five finish, she also etched her name into the record books, as her effort of 25:38.69 proved the third-fastest time in a 6K outing in program history. 


Fellow freshman Margaret Cuthie also turned in an impressive performance, with her time of 28:07.41 earning her a 13th-place finish. Marissa Becker and Melina Dhital each secured top-30 finishes in 25th and 28th, respectively, while Destiny Samuels and Layna Horner rounded out the Penn State Harrisburg contingency for the women.


On the men's side, it was Zack Gibson who once again the led the way, with his jaunt of 32:55.28 in the 8K race proving good enough for a 27th-place finish out of 99 total runners. 


Dominic Basselgia finished in 35th thanks to his time of 33:45.74, while Brandon Everett and Muhamad Meklachi also securing top-50 finishes in the 46th and 49th, respectively. Ben Seiler and Kyle Davis completed Penn State Harrisburg's group of competitors in the men's outing. 


After a strong showing in the conference preview meet, the Lions will head to another United East campus for their next competition when they travel to Penn State Abington on Saturday morning, Sept. 20.  


Fans can keep up with Penn State Harrisburg Athletics all season long on Instagram, Facebook, X and Youtube using the handle @pshbgathletics.