After coming off a mediocre finish at the Big Ten Championships, the Penn State men's cross country team is looking to make a stronger impact at the NCAA Division I Mid Atlantic Regional Championships at 12:15 p.m. tomorrow in Lock Haven.

Head coach Beth Alford-Sullivan said there will be a very strong team presence in this weekend's competition.

"We'll finish extremely competitive and get a big piece of the race," she said.

The top two teams, as well as the top four individuals not from a qualifying team will automatically advance to the national championship in Indiana on Nov. 20. Other runners will be selected to participate based on a point system that is accumulated over the course of the season.

With excellent cross country programs like Georgetown and Princeton in the mix, Alford-Sullivan is not certain Penn State will have the ability to qualify for nationals.

The Hoyas are ranked No. 1 in the latest United States Cross Country Coaches Association poll, while the Tigers are right behind at No. 2.

The Nittany Lions maintained consistency throughout their first three meets, finishing in second place at each race.

As the competition stiffened at the Pre-National and Big Ten competitions, their performance slipped, and they finished Nos. 23 and 9, respectively.

Alford-Sullivan is looking to three-time national qualifier and All-American senior Dan Mazzocco to be a top performer at the 10k race and qualify for nationals at the individual level.

In addition to national qualifiers, Alford-Sullivan said that the team hopes to bring home several All-Region athletes with top-25 finishes.

If the team does not qualify for nationals, this weekend will mark seniors Chris Nirschel, Patrick Murphy and Mazzocco's last cross country meet with Penn State. The team will lose the seniors to graduation.

Alford-Sullivan said it is very important to have the seniors ready to go and experience a great competition their last time around.

The team will be competing close to the State College area, giving the runners more of a home-meet feel. Penn State track and field athletes will also be in Lock Haven, showing their support.

Alford-Sullivan said the team did a tremendous job handling the transition of the program this season, particularly with Alford-Sullivan taking on both men's and women's coaching duties.

"I'm very proud of this group of young men for setting a foundation for the future success of this program," she said.

Looking ahead to next year, junior Michael Syrnick said a lot of summer running and training will be needed for a successful season. He said there are many young runners on the team who need to step up their mileage in order to be competitive.

The Lions will take a break for Thanksgiving and start preparing for the indoor track season when they return.