For a team with seven seniors on its roster, few would expect to find the top finishers being freshmen. For the Penn State men's cross country team, the goal of making the NCAA Championships was set by the seniors, but was solidified with help from two underclassmen.

Heading into the NCAA Championships, the Nittany Lions are in unfamiliar territory. Not only are they appearing on the national stage for the first time since 1994, but also they are led by two freshmen.

Entering the season, the No. 26 Lions said they knew freshman Vince McNally was going to be a huge addition, but they didn't expect him to have this big of an impact. After finishing sixth at the Mid-Atlantic Regional, McNally's success is not being overlooked by his teammates or coaches. Nor is the success of freshman Kyle Dawson who finished eighth at the Mid-Atlantic Regional.

"For them both to be top-10 in the region, there's already threads about them on forums across the country saying how they are two of the best freshmen in the nation," senior John Mahoney said. "We knew they were gonna be good, but didn't know they would be this good."

Senior Tyler McCandless said he was truly amazed by the freshmen's performances and attributes their success to work ethic and tremendous coaching. He said having freshmen peak at the right time of the season is very hard to do, and with McNally and Dawson running at their best during the championship season, only strengthens the team.

Both freshmen have run at championship level races during their high school careers, and the added distance from 8,000 meters to 10,000 meters has only left them feeling stronger.

"The 10,000-meter race just felt like a hard-tempo run for me," McNally said. "It was my first time running that distance, but it seemed just like a practice, but with more people running around me."

Coach Beth Alford-Sullivan believes both freshmen will rely on the experience of their previous championship races and does not worry about them competing on the national stage. She said the team has the perfect combination of youthful enthusiasm and seasoned veterans who will make sure they get the job done.

Although the duo may be younger, Mahoney said it was hard to tell they were freshmen by the way they practice and prepare for meets.

"These two guys are very, very dedicated," Mahoney said. "They are very intelligent in their training and with what they do. Although they're freshmen, you'd think they were doing this just as long as the rest of us have."