WASHINGTON, Pa. -- The Washington & Jefferson College men's cross country team will continue their new era when it ushers in a new season Friday, August. 30 with the W&J Invitational. Andy Upton will lead the Presidents in his second season at the helm after leading W&J to a second-place finish at the PAC Championships.
 
Upton talks about his outlook on his first season at W&J:
 
"The goals and expectations are exactly the same as they were a year ago. WIN a PAC CHAMPIONSHIP!" said head coach Andy Upton. "I have other goals in regard to the postseason for sure, but winning the PAC Championship is our first and only goal right now. November 2^nd is circled on the calendar and that's where our focus is. After finishing a close second in all three championships last year, this group is hungry to take the next step!"  
 
2023 Season Review: The Presidents' 2023 season was a breakout year for most of the roster. W&J had a six-meet regular event season in addition to making the PAC Championships and NCAA Regionals.
 
The Washington & Jefferson College men's cross country team started out the season on a great note, finishing first as a team at the W&J Invitational. W&J finished with 29 points to pace the team standings.
 
Freshman Dominic Flitcraft (Aliquippa, Pa./Hopewell) led the way for the Presidents, racing to his first individual title. Flitcraft recorded a time of 16:03.43 to pick up the title in the 5K event, which bested the closest competitor by nearly 25 seconds. Daniel Deal (Butler, Pa./Knoch) finished in fourth place overall with a time of 17:21.68. The fourth place showing was the best effort of Deal's collegiate career. Jake Sinclair (Beallsville, Pa./Beth-Center) and Shawn Walker (Washington, Pa./Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter) went back-to-back in the sixth and seventh spots.
 
W&J proceeded to place 11th of 20 at the Bethany Invitational following their opening showing. The Presidents still maintained top-five production from its newest freshman standout, with Flitcraft finishing fifth at the event with a time of 26:14.9.
 
The team would keep their healthy pace throughout the season posting two top 10 team finishes at the Dickinson Long-Short Run and the Thiel Tomcat Rumble, respectively.
 
The Presidents placed second out of 11 teams that participated in the PAC Championships. This becoming the Presidents best finish since the 2019 season. Flitcraft paced the Presidents with a second-place finish, posting a time of 26:05.42. Brock Pennington (North East, Pa. / North East) finished close behind in fourth-place with a time of 26:17.02. Julian Paul (Pittsburgh, Pa./Montour) finished with a time of 26:39.53 to finish just outside the Top 10 in 11th place.
 
Flitcraft earned PAC Newcomer of the Year honors and All-PAC First Team status. Pennington garnered All-PAC First Team laurels for his fourth-place finish. Paul logged All-PAC Second Team status while Danile Deal secured Honorable Mention All-PAC honors.
 
The W&J Men's cross country team also excelled off the course, as the group compiled a 3.54 cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) to earn the All-Academic Team Award. Individually, Flitcraft, Paul and Pennington were each named All-Academic Athletes by the USTFCCCA.
 
PAC Preseason Poll:
2024 PAC Men's Cross Country Preseason Coaches' Poll (Predicted order of finish)
School (first-place votes)                         Points       2023 Conference finishes
1. Saint Vincent College (6)                           90           1st (of 10) at PAC Championships, 56 pts.
2. Washington & Jefferson College  (4)         89           2nd (of 10) at PAC Championships, 71 pts.
3. Geneva College (1)                                    83           5th (of 10) at PAC Championships, 102pts.
4. Grove City College                                     70           4th (of 10) at PAC Championships, 99 pts.
5. Allegheny College                                       61          3rd (of 10) at PAC Championships, 76 pts.
6. Franciscan University                                 59           7th (of 10) at PAC Championships, 165 pts.
7. Waynesburg University                               51           6th (of 10) at PAC Championships, 155 pts.
8. Westminster College                                   40           9th (of 10) at PAC Championships, 268 pts.
9. Chatham University                                     26          10th (of 10) at PAC Championships, 286 pts.
10. Thiel College                                             25           8th (of 10) at PAC Championships, 241 pts.
11. Bethany College                                        11           Individuals only at PAC Championships
 
PAC Runners to Watch: Washington & Jefferson College
Name                                Yr.       Hometown/High School
Daniel Deal                        Sr.      Butler, Pa./Knoch
Dom Flitcraft                      So.      Aliquippa, Pa./Hopewell
Julian Paul                         Sr.       Pittsburgh, Pa./Montour
Brock Pennington              Sr.       North East, Pa./North East
 
Returners: "We are returning every single runner from last year's team which is rare in sports," stated Upton. "This is a group that has been through a lot together and a team that has grown together."
 
A quad of seniors, Brock Pennington, Julian Paul, Jake Sinclair and Daniel Deal are expected to be the backbone for the W&J men's cross country team. Pennington, Paul, Sinclair and Deal consistently finished in the top of W&J runners in 2023. The quad finished 37th, 43th, 109^th and 118th consecutively, last fall at NCAA Regionals.
 
"I cannot ignore the job our 4 seniors have done as leaders on this team. Their leadership as a collective group has been instrumental in helping this team compete at a high level every time they step on the course or the track for the last 12 months as all four lead by example," replied Upton. "Their hard work, toughness, and desire to be great is contagious and the younger members of the team are following their lead right now."
 
Sophomore Dominic Flitcraft will look to build off of his dominant freshman year. The 2023 PAC Newcomer of the year narrowly missed the opportunity to run at the NCAA National Championships after finishing 23^rd at NCAA Regionals with a time of 25:24.7.
 
"Dom is one of the most competitive people I've ever been around. He came in day one as a freshman ready to compete and there was never a moment too big for him," said Upton. "After finishing runner up at the PAC Championships last year, Dom just missed qualifying for the NCAA Championships. Most freshmen would have been happy with that year, not Dom, he is motivated to be on top. Improvement is all he thinks about every day and his desire to be great is as high as anybody I've ever met. I expect him to be in the mix just like he was last year."
 
The Presidents also welcome back juniors Lorenzo Zeni (Monongahela, Pa./Ringgold), Eli Westfort (Westborough, Mass./Westborough) and John Ridilla (Pittsburgh, Pa./Bishop Canevin) who will compete for a top spot among the top W&J runners.
 
W&J retained all of their newcomers from a season ago including Collin Helmick (Salem, Ohio/Salem), Ramaniah Karamcheti (Washington, Pa./Washington) and Shaun Walker.
 
"Some of the individuals that I'm really looking forward to seeing in their next year of development are Shaun Walker, Lorenzo Zeni, and Collin Helmick, stated Upton. "They all showed flashes last year and left the spring extremely motivated. After having great summers, I cannot wait to see where their potential takes them."
 
Newcomers: The Presidents have five freshmen joining the ranks for the 2023 season.
 
"My expectations are for them to work hard and to learn from a talented group of upperclassmen.  Learn the W&J way and take pride in it," replied Upton. "Improve each and every day they step on the course, that's it!  Be the best version of themselves and the rest will take care of itself."
 
George Bondi                    Venetia, Pa./Peters Township
Fares Bouassida               Oakdale, Pa./South Fayette
Nico Flitcraft                       Aliquippa, Pa./Hopewell
Anand Karamcheti             Washington, Pa./Washington
August Ralston                  Washington, Pa./Washington
 
Looking At The Schedule: The 2024 cross country season will consist of six regular season meets and the annual PAC Championship meet.
 
After Friday's opening W&J Invitational, the Presidents will then travel to the Slippery Rock Invitational (Sept. 9) which will act as the PAC Preview, then the Allegheny Classic (Sept. 21), the Paul Short Run (Oct. 5), the CMU Invitational (Oct. 12), and the Geneseo Invitational (Oct. 19) before the PAC Championships on Nov. 2. The NCAA Regionals will be held on November 16.
 
Final Word from Upton: "This team has a lot of potential to be great this year. It will not be easy at all but it's a journey with 16 gentlemen that I'm really looking forward to!"