Junior Edward Quinn of the Penn State men's cross-country team describes himself as focused.

"It takes me a little while to figure out what I want to do with things," he said. "Once I figure it out, I'm dedicated to doing the task."

Quinn and his teammates were exceptionally focused this weekend taking second place at the Lock Haven Invitational in Lock Haven, Pa. Quinn finished in eighth place with a time of 32:32. All-American senior Dan Mazzocco led the Nittany Lions in their excellent performance placing first in the men's 10,000 meter course with a time of 31:58. Senior Chris Nirschel took seventh place finishing in 32:31, while sophomore Tyler McCandless came in ninth place finishing in 32:34. Junior Michael Syrnick rounded out Penn State's top five runners placing 14th overall with a time of 32:52.

Away meets pose more challenges for the team than home meets. According to Syrnick, the difficulties involved with being on the road include unfamiliar courses, being overwhelmed and being intimidated by the other teams. This weekend's meet was especially difficult because the team ran a 10K race instead of the usual 8K.

At bigger meets, Quinn says the team struggles with time differences, staying in hotels and lack of routine.

After a strong finish at Lock Haven, the Lions are looking ahead, hoping to continue this level of performance as the competition becomes stiffer.

"All the teams are very tough and really talented," Syrnick said.

The Lions will have the home course advantage next weekend when they host the Spike Shoe Invitational on Sat. Sep 23 at Penn State's Blue Course. The race is set to begin at 10 a.m.